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Business Process Management (BPM) has been on the

radar of a growing number of organisations over the last

couple of years. People who have followed the

development of BPM have seen it expand from a “tooling

and service” definition to a full fledged “management

discipline”. Most people and organisations who now talk

and write about BPM take the holistic view that a business

process is about the interaction between people,

organisations and systems in order to deliver a “value” in

the form of a product or service for a customer.

This current view on BPM has made the discussion about

BPM a bit more complex as the background of the people

differ. Today’s BPM discussion brings together people like

e.g. business managers, hard core IT folks, people with a

workflow, process improvement, quality or business

intelligence background. The different backgrounds have

also influence on the increasing number of models and

standards used to describe BPM.

As chairman of the BPM-Forum and the Process

Community I have followed numerous discussions and

presentations on BPM. I have observed that most

3

presentations skip a BPM definition and the people

assume a common understanding. Even when one is

given, it will differ from the next one. For me this is one of

the main reasons why BPM is not delivering its full

potential to the market yet.

Therefore, I very much applaud this book as it will help

ease the discussion about BPM by providing a set of

definitions which can be used within you organisation and

outside in presentations, articles and discussions so all

will benefit from the value BPM can bring. There are

numerous standards, models and definitions in the market

you can use. All are ok, as long as you use just one for

your discussion and this book will give you a good

alternative.

Frits Bussemaker

Chairman BPM-Forum

Chairman ProcessCommunity

4

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Business Process Management (BPM) concerns the goal-

driven design, management and execution of business

processes. Many organisations currently manage or plan

to start managing their business processes: 82% of the

European CEOs consider BPM to be “very important to

their organisation … motivated by the need to work

smarter, better and faster in a rapidly changing

marketplace” (EFQM survey).

The reasons for this are quite obvious. A better grip on

business processes also means better results for clients,

decrease in costs and enhancement of the process

performance. Nevertheless, only few organisations are

outstanding in applying the BPM principles and

techniques. This can be often explained by insufficient

domain specific knowledge, competencies and expertise

which are required in order to be able to translate general

business goals into a clear vision with respect to business

processes. For a implementing successfully such a vision

in practice it is critical that the process stakeholders share

the same understanding of the most important BPM-

related concepts. Nevertheless, literature sources and

5

practitioners use attribute different semantics/definitions to

a term or they use different terms (sometimes

interchangeably) to designate the same concept. This has

become a constant source of confusions and ambiguities.

This situation is further worsened by the variety of

abbreviations that can be found in abundance in many

scientific and professional publications and which are

often familiar only to experts. Therefore we felt compelled

to set the records straight and collect and explain in this

document the most important concepts related to

business process methods, techniques and tools. This

booklet is useful BPM “dictionary” for managers, process

owners, process developers, consultants and

enterprise architects.

We would like to acknowledge here the contribution of

many colleagues and of several organisations to the

development of this document, such as Telematica

Instituut, the BPM-forum Nederland, the Belastingdienst

and the ING Group. Furthermore, this document is based

on state-of-the-art BPM-literature.

6

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ABC

Activity-based Costing

ABM

Activity-based Management

AO

Administrative Organisation

APM

Application Portfolio Management

BFA

Business function architecture

BO

Back Office

BP

Business process

BPA

Business Process Automation

BPDM

Business Process Definition Metamodel

7

BPE

Business Process Engineering

BPEL

Business Process Execution Language

BPEL4WS

Business Process Execution Language for Web

Services

BPM

Business Process Management

BPMI

Business Process Management Initiative

BPML

Business Process Modelling Language

BPMN

Business Process Modelling Notation

BPR

Business Process Redesign (Re-engineering)

BSC

Balanced Scorecard

CMM

Capability Maturity Model

8

CMMI

Capability Maturity Model Integrated

COPAFIJTH

Commerce, Organisation, Personnel, Administration

Organisation, Finance, Information, Juridical aspects,

Technology, Housing

CRM

Customer Relationship Management

CRUD

Create, Read, Update, Delete

CSF

Critical success factor

DEMO

Design & Engineering Methodology for Organisations

DPE

Departmental Process Expert

DPS

Detail process schema

DPU

Defects per Unit

EA

Enterprise architecture

9

EAI

Enterprise Application Integration

EFQM

European Foundation for Quality Management

EPC

Event Process Chains

ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning

FO

Front Office

FS

Functional Specification

FTE

Full Time Equivalent

HACCP

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points

HPS

Hierarchical Process Schema

IA

Information architecture

IC

Internal Control

10

IDEF

Integrated Definition

IPO

Input, Process, Output

ISO

International Organisation for Standardization

ITIL

Information Technology Infrastructure Library

JIT

Just-in-Time

KPI

Key Performance Indicator

KRI

Key Risk Indicator

MBO

Management by Objectives

MCA

Mutual Collaboration Agreement

MCS

Management Control System

MDA

Model Driven Architecture

11

OASIS

Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information

Standards

OMG

Object Management Group

ORM

1. Operational Risk Management

2. Object Role Modelling

OVA

Overhead Value Analysis

PDCA

Plan, Do, Check, Act

PI

Performance indicator

PMC

Product-market combination

PRINCE®

PRojects IN Controlled Environments

RADAR

Results, Approach, Deployment, Assessment, Review

12

RASCI

Responsible, Accountable, Supportive, Consulted,

Informed

SCM

Supply Chain Management

SLA

Service Level Agreement

SMART

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-

bound

SOA

Service Oriented Architecture

SOX

Sarbanes-Oxley Act

SSC

Shared Service Centre

SWOT

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

TP

Third Party

TQM

Total Quality Management

13

UML

Unified Modelling Language

WBS

Work Breakdown Structure

WFM

Workflow Management

WfMC

Workflow Management Coalition

WS-BPEL

Web Services Business Process Execution Language

XML

Extensible Markup Language

XPDL

XML Process Definition Language

YAWL

Yet Another Workflow Language

14

15

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16

Abstraction

Leaving out details and exceptions related to the

aspects which are not of importance for the main goal.

Abstraction level

The amount of detail included in the description of a

system (organisation, application, process) and its

environment, in particular when determining which

properties and which subsystems will be included in the

description.

Action

See ‘activity’. Activity (action)

1. A set of operations that belong together. An activity

is regarded as having an atomic character in terms of

time, place and operation(s) involved. Activities are

used as a means to refine the specification of

business processes. Thus, several activities can be

distinguished in a business process together with

their relationships.

��

17

2. Clustering of operations, based on op basis van

efficiency and effectiveness criteria, which are

executed by one or more actors.

3. A description of a piece of work that forms one

logical step within a process. An activity may be a

manual activity, which does not support computer

automation, or a workflow (automated) activity. A

workflow activity requires human and/or machine

resources(s) to support process execution; where

human resource is required an activity is allocated to

a workflow participant. (www.wfmc.org)

Activity-based costing (ABC)

1. A method for estimating the resources required to

operate an organisation's business processes, produce

its products and serve its customers.

In a business organisation, the ABC methodology

assigns an organisation's resource costs through

activities to the products and services provided to its

customers. It is generally used as a tool for

understanding product and customer cost and

profitability. As such, ABC has predominantly been

used to support strategic decisions such as pricing,

18

outsourcing and identification and measurement of

process improvement initiatives.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activity-based_costing)

Thus, the principle behind ABC is that activities, and not

the products, are generating costs. Also see

‘Quantitative analysis’.

2. A process-oriented approach to accounting that

starts by determining how much it costs to perform

each activity and then adds up activity costs to

determine process costs, an so forth. The idea is that

you add together all the costs in a complete value

chain, subtract the costs from the income for the

product or service produced by the value chain, and

determine the profit on the process.

(http://www.bptrends.com/resources_glossary.cfm)

Activity-based management (ABM)

Establishes a relation with the ‘customer value’ by

determining per process step the costs with which

added-value is delivered to the client.

Actor diagram

Representation in the form of a diagram of the

departments, units, divisions, groups, functions, roles,

19

people and/or systems involved in a process, together

with the relationships between them and the

information, products and services they exchange.

Actors

Indicate who is involved in a process. The following

types of actors can be distinguished: (business)

functions, roles, and resources (people and systems).

Actor table

A table specifying the mapping between actors and

activities.

Administrative information management

The systematic collection, storage and processing of

data which serves the information needs of

management, control and accountability processes in

an organisation.

Administrative structure

All the organisational measures taken within an

organisation with respect to the data processing

processes that concern the provisioning of information

for

20

� the management and functioning of that organisation

� the identification of responsibilities to be performed,

grouping of responsibilities into departments or

divisions, and specifying of organisational

relationships.

Administrative process

A sequence of successive activities during which

certain administrative operations are executed.

Administrative processes do not produce any output

directly for the external client, but are essential for

running the business. Examples hereof are: strategic

planning, budgeting and performance monitoring.

Aggregation

The aggregation relationship relates an aggregate

object with an object that is part of the aggregation. In

contrast to the composition relationship, an object can

be part of more than one aggregation.

Analysis approach for processes

Such an approach structures the COPAFIJTH-broad

analysis of the as-is situation of an organisation. More

precisely it consists of the scoping of the change

21

process, the identification of the analysis means and of

the specification, analysis and evaluation of the

necessary process models. The analysis approach is

depicted below.

CSF, boundary conditions, indicators

1 Scope

Goal and scope

2 Determine means

Which analysis?, what to model?

3 Modelling

One or more models

4 Analysis

Facts from the analysis

5 Evaluate

Bottlenecks, causes, symptoms

1 Scope

Goal and scope

2 Determine means

Which analysis?, what to model?

3 Modelling

One or more models

4 Analysis

Facts from the analysis

5 Evaluate

Bottlenecks, causes, symptoms

1 Determinemodelling goal

2 Determinemodel type

3 Elaboratemodel …

1 Determinemodelling goal

2 Determinemodel type

3 Elaboratemodel

1 Determinemodelling goal

2 Determinemodel type

3 Elaboratemodel …

Analysis object

Processes that are subject to analysis.

Analysis reasoning-tool

A tool that helps the analyst to come from analysis

goals to the identification of appropriate analysis means

22

(e.g., techniques, tools), using a structured collection of

aspects on a step-wise manner.

AND-join (conjunction)

1. A symbol that is used in behaviour modelling to

express the fact that an activity following an and-

join may begin only when all activities preceding

that and-join have been completed.

2. A point in the workflow where two or more parallel

executing activities converge into a single

common thread of control. (www.wfmc.org)

AND-split (parallelism)

1. A symbol that is used in behaviour modelling to

express the fact that all activities following an and-

split may begin independently from each other

(i.e., in parallel) after the activity preceding that

and-split have been completed.

2. A point within the workflow where a single thread

of control splits into two or more threads which are

executed in parallel within the workflow, allowing

multiple activities to be executed simultaneously.

(www.wfmc.org)

23

Application

A software system that supports specific business

processes and the people involved by processing the

data flow that corresponds to those processes.

Application architecture

Describes the components of the business application

portfolio and their corresponding relationships.

Application function

A functional component coordinating, supporting and/or

realising the automation of one or more business

functions.

Application interface

A functional component of an application through which

(a part of) the functionality and data is made available

to other applications (‘client applications’), or through

which (a part of) the functionality and data of other

applications is accessed.

Application design

Blueprint of an application, in which the functional

requirements are distributed over the functional

24

components. Each of these functional components is

further worked out in technical design, which specifies

how that component must be realised. Furthermore,

some choices must be made with respect to supporting

technologies to be used and with respect to which

existing (software) components will be reused and

which have to be built from scratch. Thus, an

application design establishes the relation between the

‘what and the ‘how’.

Application Programming Interface (API)

A component of an information system allowing other

software applications to exchange data with the system.

Application system

See ’application’.

ArchiMate-project

ArchiMate was an initiative of a consortium of

companies and knowledge institutes. The Telematica

Instituut, Ordina, Radboud University Nijmegen, the

Leiden Institute for Advanced Computer Science

(LIACS) and the Centre for Mathematics and Computer

Science (CWI) have done research.

25

By means of an architecture language and visualization

techniques that show the coherence and relations

among the several domains, ArchiMate provides the

architect with univocal instruments to support and

improve the architecture process integration of domains

and to achieve the integration of different architecture

domains. The core result of ArchiMate is a design

language that consists of:

� A generic collection of concepts and the notation of

these concepts as a visual language;

� An accurate definition of the semantics (formal

denotation) of these concepts, so that it becomes

clear what a model means;

� A visual notation that resembles widely accepted

notations such as UML, BPMN and Testbed, to

connect to existing work practices.

Besides this, ArchiMate offers various techniques that

make use of language, aimed at visualisation, analysis,

design and use of architectures

The results of the ArchiMate project have been

validated and applied in practice by the companies

involved: ABN AMRO, Belastingdienst and Stichting

Pensioenfonds ABP. This unique combination of

knowledge and experience shows the potential strength

26

of architectures even more. The ArchiMate language is

governed currently by the ArchiMate Forum which has

recently become part of The Open Group.

Architect

A person, team or organisation responsible for the

(development of an) architecture.

Architecture (ANSI/IEEE 1471-2000 standard)

The fundamental organisation of a system, embodied in

its components, their relationships to each other and

the environment, and the principles governing its design

and evolution.

Architecture model

A blueprint (at overview level and COPAFIJTH-broad)

of all the business systems under consideration. Such a

model describes globally the essential components of

the business systems by means of diagrams and the

relationships between them in sufficient detail to

facilitate decision making concerning the introduction,

for example, of new business functionality

(COPAFIJTH-broad).

27

Asynchronous process

A process in which one activity sends a message to

another, but does not wait until it gets a response. For

example, having a dialog with another person is a

synchronous process. Sending an e-mail is an

asynchronous process.

Attributes

Properties of items and (inter)actions which express

(dynamically established) facts regarding items en

actions, such as, name and address, or damage

estimated value.

Audit

See ‘process audit’.

Audit data

A historical record of the progress of a process instance

from start to completion or termination. Such data

normally incorporates information on the state

transitions of the process instance. (www.wfmc.org)

Auditee

See ‘process auditee’.

28

Auditor

See ‘process auditor’.

Authorisation matrix

Matrix which specifies people’s responsibilities (and

competencies) with respect to the transactions they

may carry out on information systems.

Autonomous task group

See ‘self managing task group’.

29

Back office (BO)

A part of an organisation that supports the delivery and

sales of services and products to the clients but has no

direct contact with the client.

Balanced Scorecard (BSC)

A performance planning and measurement framework,

with similar principles as Management by Objectives,

which was publicized by Robert S. Kaplan and David P.

Norton in the early 1990s. Having realized the

shortcomings of traditional management control

systems, Kaplan and Norton designed the Balanced

Scorecard as a result of a one-year research project

involving 12 companies. Since its introduction, the

Balanced Scorecard has been placed alongside

approaches such as Activity Based Costing and Total

Quality Management.

Balanced scorecard is a tool to execute and monitor the

organisational strategy by using a combination of

financial and non financial measures. It is designed to

translate vision and strategy into objectives and

measures across four balanced perspectives: financial,

��

30

customers, internal business process and learning and

growth. It gives a framework ensuring that the strategy

is translated into a coherent set of performance

measures. A graphical representation of the Balanced

Scorecard is given below:

31

Basel II

An agreement between the European banks aiming to

create an international standard by setting up rigorous

risk and capital management requirements designed to

ensure that a bank holds capital reserves appropriate to

the risk the bank exposes itself to through its lending

and investment practices. In addition, the Basel II

Framework is intended to promote a more forward-

looking approach to capital supervision, one that

encourages banks to identify the risks they may face,

today and in the future, and to develop or improve their

ability to manage those risks. As a result, it is intended

to be more flexible and better able to evolve with

advances in markets and risk management practices.

For more information see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_II

http://www.bis.org/publ/bcbsca.htm.

Basic business model (BBM)

A stable description of the task allocation within a (part

of a) business and the corresponding relevant data.

32

Batch processing

Term used to describe the functioning of (information

processing) systems where a large amount of data/jobs

is collected over a period of time before it is processed.

Instead of processing every small ‘job’ as it arrives

(which is called “real-time processing”), jobs are

‘queued’ or collected until the system is ready to

process them all at once.

Behaviour description

Description of the activities taking place and the way

they relate to each other.

Behaviour block

A concept that can be used in process modelling to add

structure to a model. Thus, the model is divided into

sub-processes (so-called behaviour blocks). These can

be used, for example, to distinguish between different

phases in the process.

Behaviour diagram

Diagram type used to model and document the course

of a process in terms of sequences activities.

33

Behaviour model

Model describing the sequence of activities that are

carried out. Also see ‘Behaviour diagram’.

Behaviour process

A type of process that has its roots in group dynamics

and focuses on the study of behaviour patterns

embedded in organisations. The idea is that behaviour

patterns are a reflection of the way individuals usually

interact within an organisation. A distinction can be

made between decision, communication and learning

processes.

Benchmarking

The systematic comparison of the business

performance of (a part of) an organisation with the

performance of other similar (parts of) organisations.

Best practices

Methods and ways of working for which there is

empirical evidence that they best work in practice

(deliver the best result, are the most efficient, etc.).

34

Bottleneck

A fact that prevents an organisation/process to meet

business goals, critical success factors or norms.

Bottom-up approach

Process improvement approach in which the central

idea (also promoted by the TQM paradigm) is that

workers must be directly involved in the improvement of

processes in which they are involved. Thus, they must

not only execute their work but also think and

understand why they are doing it the way they are

doing it and how they can do it differently/better.

Bottom-up modelling

A modelling style according to which one first models

the ‘how’ (the operational model) and then the ‘what’

(the logical model). In bottom-up modelling the current

structure of the organisation, and the relevant

processes are modelled first. Then from these models,

a functional organisation of all processes is derived into

a so-called logical model.

35

BPM approach

Systematic approach for process innovation, analysis,

(re)design and migration (and realisation). See also the

definitions for Innovation approach, Analysis approach,

(Re)design approach and Migration approach.

BPM context

The products and services an organisation delivers are

derived from its business strategy. These are often

specified in terms of business goals. Their realisation is

carried out during and through business processes. The

execution of processes is made possible by a process-

and COPAFIJTH- driven organisation. For an effective

and efficient management of the organisation both the

(internal) performance and the results must be

monitored. To this purpose performance, risk and

quality indicators must be defined, measured and

compared with previously defined norms. A clear model

of the management of the organisation must be further

analysed based on measured indicators, in order to

adjust and steer the improvement and re-design of

processes. A graphical representation of the BPM

context described above is given below:

36

Mission and goals

organisation

results performance

performance, risk, quality

norms measures

Services and products

processes

goals

Indicators:

BPMI (Business Process Management Initiative)

Consortium of business process modelling tools

vendors and user companies that are working together

to develop an XML-based business process language

(BPML), a notation for the language (BPMN) and a

query language (BPQL). (www.bpmi.org).

BPM layered model

In the BPM layered model we distinguish three layers

with respect to the process-driven process

management, namely:

37

- the strategic aspects

- the tactical aspects

- the operational aspects.

The above-mentioned horizontal layers covering the

change process must be complemented with control

mechanisms facilitating its management and

monitoring. Obviously, management and monitoring are

a necessary at all levels: strategic (strategy), tactical

(design) and operational (execution).

The enforcement of control must occur both in a top-

down and bottom-up fashion. Inflicting control from the

strategic level to the execution level (i.e., top-down) will

result in the implementation of processes.

Inflicting control from the operational level towards the

strategic level (i.e., bottom-up) can be translated into

the governance processes. These will facilitate the

continuous improvement of the business processes,

while closing the loop initiated in the implementation.

More specifically, governance begins at the operational

level with tasks such as measuring and monitoring of

performance, risks and quality indicators. At the tactical

level, information coming from the operational level can

be processed by means of complex analyses. For

example, “impact-of-change’, costs-benefits and

38

performance analyses performed on the developed

process models may generate relevant management

information. The results produced can serve and

motivate the decision making process occurring at the

strategic level, whose main goals are the continuous

improvement. As such, an important activity taking

place at this level is the review process that checks the

compliance of the existing processes with the

organisation’s goals and strategy.

A graphical representation of the BPM-layered model is

given below.

SLASLAoper

ational

SLASLA

tactic

al

� Design criteria

� Strategy

implementation

� governance

Strategie vorming

(Her)ontwerpen

Analyseren

Beschrijven

Implementeren

Meten

Besturen

InzichtBeheersenVerbeteren

InzichtInzichtBeheersenBeheersenVerbeterenVerbeteren

Strategie vorming

(Her)ontwerpen

Analyseren

Beschrijven

Implementeren

Meten

Besturen

InzichtBeheersenVerbeteren

InzichtInzichtBeheersenBeheersenVerbeterenVerbeteren

architecturesstrategy

Process cycleImpact of change

� Process information� Management

information

� Change Management

� Implementation

Analyse

Implem. Keuze

Analyse

Implem. Keuze

Processen en organisat ie

Processen en organisatie InformatieInformatie

BedrijfsfunctiesBedrijfsfuncties

ApplicatiesApplicaties

TechniekTechniek

Processen en organisat ie

Processen en organisatie

Processen en organisat ie

Processen en organisatie InformatieInformatieInformatieInformatie

BedrijfsfunctiesBedrijfsfunctiesBedrijfsfunctiesBedrijfsfuncties

ApplicatiesApplicatiesApplicatiesApplicaties

TechniekTechniekTechniekTechniek

order

(re)designoptimise

analysecomparejudge

Measure/control

operational process

ontvangenclaim

opzoekenklantdossier

aanmakenschadedossier

invoerenclaimgegevens

controlerencompleetheid

afwijzenclaim

aanvullenclaim

geenbestaandeklant

bestaandeklant

com pleet

incompleet

ontvan genclaim

op zoe ke nklan tdo ssier

aan makenscha ded ossier

in voe renclaimgeg even s

co ntrolerencompleetheid

afwij zenclaim

aan vul lenclaim

geenbest aandeklant

best aandekl ant

compleet

incompl eet

strategy

design

execution

Indicators:

• Performance• Risk• Quality

product/ service

Impl

emen

tatio

nIm

plem

enta

tion G

overnanceG

overnance

BPM scan

See ‘process management scan’.

39

BPM software tools

Software tools supporting the structured modelling,

analysis, storage and reporting of business processes.

Advanced BPM-software is used in at least the

following application areas:

1. Modelling and decision support.

2. Visualisation and communication.

3. Calculations and simulation of alternatives.

Business administration (management)

The steering and management of (primary and

supporting) business processes leading to the

achievement of the business goals.

Business action rule

A business rule that establishes when certain activities

should take place. Two variants of action rules can be

distinguished: condition-action rules (production rules)

and event-condition-action (ECA) rules. Also see

‘business rule’.

40

Business architect

The person responsible for the definition, development

and implementation of the enterprise architecture. The

business architect is also the guardian of architecture’s

consistent application in all projects throughout the

organisation.

Business architecture

See ‘enterprise architecture (EA)’.

Business calculation rule

A business rule that prescribes how a certain

calculation must be done. Examples: calculation of the

salary or of an insurance premium. Also see ‘business

rule’. Business derivation rule

Derivation rules (deduction rules and computation

rules) A business rule that is used to establish

information that is used in a process. Also see

‘business rule’.

Business chain

See ‘chain’.

41

Business function

A part of an organisation that realises some added

value for its environment. Each business function has a

core competency it concentrates on. Examples hereof

are: accounting, production, marketing, administration,

etc.

Business function architecture (BFA)

1. An architecture that specifies which set of business

functions should exist in the organisation both in the

as-is as in the to-be situation. It specifies the context

in which processes operate and it can be useful

during modelling and for making explicit the most

important goals of an organisation.

2. A (hierarchical) blueprint of (a part of) consisting of

business functions and their underlying relationships.

Business goal

A specific short- or long-term target towards which an

organisation is striving. Goal setting usually also

assumes the identification of deadlines and quantifiable

measures for evaluating the success/failure in reaching

the goal.

42

Business Modelling & Integration Domain Task

Force (BMIDTF)

Group within the OMG responsible for the development

of specifications of integrated models supporting the

management of an organisation. The OMG

specification Business Process Modelling Notation

(BPMN) is developed by this group. The BMIDTF is the

result of the merger between the OMG BEIDTF and the

Business Process Management Initiative.

Business Motivation Model (BMM)

Model developed by the Business Rules Group for the

structured development, communication and

management of business plans. The BMM is an OMG

standard.

Business object

A unit of information that has relevance from a

business perspective.

Business process (BP)

1. A part of a business chain that falls within the

borders of an organisation. A business process

43

delivers a result and consists of several activities or

sub processes. A business process and a chain

coincide when the chain consist only of one

organisation.

2. The sequence of activities that take place between

the request for a service/product and the delivery of

that service/product. It has the following

characteristics:

o It has a concrete goal

o It is “from-client-to-client”: e.g., order-to-

delivery, order-to-cash, plan-to-produce,

build-to-order

o From trigger to result

o It has duration

o It can be cross-departmental.

Business Process Automation (BPA)

The usage of computer systems and software for the

(semi-) automated execution of a process.

Representative technologies for BPA are, among

others, SOA, workflow management systems, ERP and

EAI.

44

Business Process Engineering (BPE)

A discipline that covers the innovation, analysis,

(re)design, documentation, and management of

business processes, organisation and of the supporting

systems from the perspective of critical market

indicators and en success factors.

Business Process Execution Language (BPEL)

See ’ WS-BPEL’.

Business Process Execution Language for Web

Services (BPEL4WS)

Outdated term, see ‘WS-BPEL’.

Business Process Improvement (BPI)

Business process improvement focuses on

incrementally improving existing processes. There are

many approaches, including the currently popular Six

Sigma approach. BPI is usually has a narrow scope

and is repeated over and over again during the life of

each process.

45

Business Process Management (BPM)

1. The set of activities assuming the usage of specific

methods, techniques and software in order to plan,

control, analyse, describe, model, implement,

execute, maintain and change/improve the

independent process steps and the business process

as a whole.

2. Concerns the process-driven and COPAFIJTH-broad

design and management of an organisation. The

central principle is that processes must be made

explicit, transparent and must be maintained and

continuously improved.

Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI)

Association of software suppliers and user-

organisations of process modelling tools; it has evolved

into OMG ‘s Business Modelling & Integration Domain

Task Force (BMIDTF).

46

Business Process Management System (BPMS)

Comprehensive software platform that supports

• the specification/modelling of end-to-end business

processes;

• their deployment as applications accessible via the

Web that are integrated with existing applications;

• the monitoring, analysis, control and improvement

of business processes;

• the execution of processes in real time.

Examples of BPMSs are Oracle BPA/SOA suites, IBM

Websphere, Tibco, Microsoft BiZtalk, Mendix, etc.

Process Modelling Language (BPML)

XML-based modelling language for the description of

business processes. It was originally developed by the

Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI). The

development of BPML has stopped. Nevertheless, it

has been incorporated in WS-BPEL.

Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN)

OMG standard defining a graphical notation for the

specification of business processes. It was developed

47

by the BPMI (currently OMG’s Business Modelling &

Integration Domain Task Force).

Business Process Modelling Tool

A software tool that lets users (e.g., managers, process

designers or analysts) design process models/

diagrams, analyse and report them. Simple tools only

support diagramming. Professional Business Process

Modelling Tools store each model element in a

database so that they can be reused in other diagrams,

analysed, or updated. Some professional tools support

simulation or code generation. Examples of such tools

are BiZZdesigner, ARIS, Casewise, Metastorm, iGrafx,

Mega etc.

Business Process Redesign (re-engineering)

A radical re-design of the primary and supporting

processes. The goal is to realise a concrete/significant

performance improvement in terms of efficiency and

effectiveness.

Business rule

1. Operational guidelines that are the translation of

the business strategy, legislation and policies.

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2. “A statement that defines or constrains some

aspect of the business. It is intended to assert

business structure, or to control or influence the

behaviour of the business.” (Business Rules

Group)

3. Any guideline regarding behaviour, actions,

execution and procedures that must be followed

during an activity.

4. A statement describing a business policy or

decision procedure. Some programming

languages run business rules together into very

complex algorithms. In business process analysis,

each rule is usually stated independently, in the

general format: If A and B, Then C. Workflow tools

and detailed process diagrams both depend on

business rules to specify how decisions are made.

We generally associate business rules with

activities. A decision diamond is adequate to show

what happens if a loan is accepted or rejected, but

dozens or even hundreds of business rules may

need to be defined to clarify what a loan should be

accepted or rejected. Training programs, job aids,

software systems and knowledge management

systems aim to document business rules either to

49

automate the decision process or to and make the

rules available to other decision makers.

(www.bptrends.com/resources_glossary.cfm)

Business rule management system

Software sytem that supports the specification,

execution, management and storage of business rules.

Examples hereof are ILOG JRule, Corticon,

MicrosoftBizTalk, Rule Burst, InRule, PegaRule, etc.,

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Capability Maturity Model (CMM)

A model that gives insight in the development level and

the maturity of a software manufacturer. The model

describes how such an organisation deals with

(software) development processes and distinguishes

between five levels.

A graphical depiction of CMM is given below:

Definedprocessesorganised,documentedand standardised

Managedprocessand qualityoutcome measures implemented

Optimisedcontiniousprocess

improvementadopted

Repeatableprojectmanagementtools implemented

Initial ad hoc management: processesnot well defined or documented

Definedprocessesorganised,documentedand standardised

Managedprocessand qualityoutcome measures implemented

Optimisedcontinuous process

improvementadopted

Repeatableprojectmanagementtools implemented

Initial ad hoc management: processesnot well defined or documented

��

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Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI)

A model that integrates the CMM models for software

development, electronics and integrated product

development in an unified model. Together with

evaluation methodology and training material, the

CMMI offers support for process improvement in the

above-mentioned areas, both in the industry and within

governmental organisations.

Capacity calculation

The calculation of the necessary capacity of resources

(e.g., actors, roles, functions, applications en networks)

required for the execution of a certain process.

Chain (business chain, network of business processes)

A chain in which, usually, different organisations

participate in order to deliver a product or service.

Chain level

Level at which the motivation, the architecture and the

results/goals for that chain are defined.

52

Chain-orientation

Organising and managing an organisation having as

starting point the participation and functioning of the

organisation in a chain.

Chain orchestrator

System or organisation responsible, over a whole

chain, for the collaboration of the different components

(sub-systems or organisations) participating in the

chain. The chain orchestrator also specifies together

with process managers the service level agreements

(SLAs).

Change management

1. The management of change is the continuous

seeking and realisation of improvements.

2. Change management means to plan, initiate, realize,

control, and finally stabilize change processes on

both, corporate and personal level.

3. Change management means making of changes in a

planned and systematic fashion. For an organisation,

change management means defining and

implementing procedures and/or technologies to deal

53

with changes in the business environment and to

profit from changing opportunities.

Change processes

This type of processes relies on the idea that business

processes and organisational strategies and structures

evolve over time. Change processes are continuous,

steady, ongoing and of dynamic nature. Change

processes may be triggered by the adoption of new

corporate strategies or changing external conditions.

Class

Set of objects for which the common attributes and the

behaviour are described.

Class diagram A UML diagram used for the design of object-oriented

software systems, and, more generally, to describe any

set of logical classes and their relations.

(www.bptrends.com/resources_glossary.cfm)

54

Client

Department or external organisation/person which is

the beneficiary of the output of a process.

Client contacts

The number of client-contacts is defined as the number

of times an organisation is in contact with the client

during a use-case. We distinguish incoming and

outgoing client-contacts depending on the party that

have initiated the contact (i.e., the client or the

organisation). Important features related to client-

contacts are the efficiency of the contacts and

frequency. Both can be analysed model-wise. Process

models may reveal if there are unnecessary

redirections or whether clients have enough freedom in

choosing the communication media and distribution

channels.

Client differentiation

The extent to which during a process (or in offered

services) a distinction is made between different

categories / types of clients.

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Client orientation

The extent to which an organisation adjusts itself to

individual customers.

Client process

A process, in which all steps followed by the client are

modelled.

Client satisfaction

An organisational measure defined as the extent to

which the needs and expectations of clients are met,

and which is usually measured by means of a survey.

Performance indicators (such as, response time,

processing time, waiting time and fault rate), client

friendliness (defined as the general attitude of an

organisation towards its clients) and client orientation

(defined as the extent to which the organisation adapts

itself to its individual customers) may have an important

impact on client satisfaction.

Client-supplier relation

Relationship between two organisation in which a

product or service is bought by the ‘client’ organisation

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from a ‘supplying’ organisation to use it as input in its

own processes.

Client value profile

Model that distinguishes between three ways for an

organisation to create added value for its clients:

1. Operational excellence (best total cost).

2. Product innovation (best product).

3. Customer intimacy (best total solution).

Cluster

A collection of related processes that concern a

common aspect, focus area, goal etc.

Communication process

The process in which information is exchanged and

understood, mostly in order to motivate and influence a

certain behaviour.

The exchange of information is essential both during

the interaction between individuals and the information

gathering activities. Communication activities can be

defined as the formal or informal information exchange

between all stakeholders in an BPE project. The main

57

type of behaviour participating parties may expose

during a communication activity are:

Knowledge acquisition – this refers to the acquisition of

knowledge that allows all parties to have a shared

understanding and a common vision of the future

processes. This knowledge must focus both on the

internal organisation of the new processes and on its

context from the social, work practice, business and

technical points of view. However, the selection of a

particular viewpoint very much depends on the

participating stakeholders and on the goal of the

communication activity.

Knowledge negotiating (sharing) – Requirements for

the new processes need to be negotiated as part of an

iterative process that allows the understanding of each

other’s position.

Acceptance – Acceptance of the new processes as a

consequence of both parties feeling confident that the

new processes fulfil their expectations.

Competence

The ability of an individual (part of an organisation) to

properly perform a specific (type of) activity.

58

Competitive position

The position of a company with respect to other similar

organisations, delivering the same type of product

and/or services. It is determined based on the market

position, market share and the client acquisition

dynamics. Aspects, such as, the future perspective of

the organisation with respect to competitors is also

considered. These elements are also addressed in the

COPAFIJTH framework under the sub-aspects

‘positioning’ and relationship with the client. See

COPAFIJTH.

Competitive advantage

Situation that occurs when one company can make

more profits selling its products or services than its

competitors. It occurs because the products or services

of that company are more valuable, of better quality,

unique, having more desirable features or design, or

they are sold for less than their competitors because

they are a more efficient producer. Many people

associate competitive advantage with the model

provided in Michael Porter's Competitive Advantage

(1985).

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Completion time

The amount of time a process requires from the

moment the trigger fires to the moment the process is

completed. It is a time-measure which is usually used to

evaluate the performance of the process execution and

derive measures that quantify the client satisfaction the

(response time).

Completion time analysis

The calculation of the completion time of a process.

Contrary to critical path analysis, in the calculation of

the completion time the probability distribution is taken

into account.

Component

Independent, replaceable and reusable part of system

or model.

Conditional processes

See ‘management processes’.

Context model

Describes a system (organisation, application, process)

in relation with its environment, by specifying the

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interactions between the system and the environment

and how information between them is exchanged.

Control

Having knowledge of and grip on processes.

Control flow

The steering of the course of a process by means of

(logical) conditions.

Conventions

Generally accepted rules.

Conversion measurements

See ‘throughput-measurements’.

COPAFIJTH

The COPAFIJTH method (Commerce, Organisation,

Personnel, Administration, Finance, Information,

Juridical aspects, Technology and Housing) identifies

organisational aspects relevant for business process

engineering projects: It consists of:

� Commerce: Analyses the extent to which a company

is successful in achieving an agreement between the

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relations the organisation has with its environment

(clients, competitors, interest groups, etc.) and the

mission and business goals the organisation

pursues. Sub-aspects: Competitive position,

Positioning, Relation with clients.

� Organisation: Analyses the extent to which the

business processes are optimally supported by the

chosen organisation form. Sub-aspects: Structure,

Culture, Flexibility.

� Personnel: Analyses the extent to which the

available knowledge, experience and skills of the

employees are optimally used. Sub-aspects: Job

profile, Personal skills, Job assignment.

� Administration: Analyses the business

processes within an organisation. We distinguish

between processes realizing the delivery of goods

and services (primary processes), supporting

administrative processes (secondary processes) and

management, supervision and control processes

(tertiary processes). Sub-aspects: Process structure,

Process description, Process management, Task

structure.

� Finance: Analyses the financial position

/situation of a company and the financial aspects that

62

are relevant for its management. Sub- aspects: Financial position, Operational costs.

� Information: Analyses the extent to which the

information needs of an organisation are met

effectively by internal information flows. Sub-

aspects: Information needs, Information provisioning,

Information alignment.

� Juridical aspects: Analyses the extent to which

business processes and products comply with the

existing laws and regulations and the extent to which

the organisation is able to deal with changing legal

requirements. Sub-aspects: Legal dependencies.

� Technology: Analyses the extent to which the

execution of business processes is effectively and

efficiently supported by the usage of available

technological means. Sub-aspects: Quality,

Suitability, Flexibility.

� Housing: Analyses the extent to which the

execution of business processes is effectively and

efficiently supported by the buildings and office

premises. Sub-aspects: Geography, Ergonomics.

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Core competency

A combination of specific, integrated, coordinated and

applied knowledgeVerwijst naar een combinatie van

specifieke, geïntegreerde, gecoördineerde en

toegepaste kennis, vaardigheden en attitudes van een

organisatie. Zo’n competentie is uniek, verschaft

duurzaam concurrentievoordeel en is essentieel voor

het realiseren van de strategische intentie.

Core model

A common vision on a certain subject/domain shared

by several organisations. Well known examples are the

core models regarding the human resource

management and financial information systems within

the government.

Core process

Process or service that delivers a product or service to

external clients. It is usually a process of magnitude

and critical for the organisation of for a department.

Critical path analysis

Analysis technique that determines which actions in a

behaviour model dominate the completion time of the

64

process modelled in that model and what is the total

duration of that path.

Critical success factors

Factors that are an indication of the business aspects in

which the organisation wants to excel and the ways in

which the organisation differentiates itself from its

competitors.

Examples of critical success factors are good

communication with the client’ and low execution costs.

Critical processes

Processes which are determinant for the success or

failure of an organisation. Critical processes are

processes that may bring health, environment, client

satisfaction, client loyalty in danger or may cause large

financial loses.

Cross-function processes

Processes that cross the borders of the functional

departments. Different parts of the such a process are

executed by different departments, thus, each

contributing to the realisation of the end-results of the

process.

65

Cross-impact analysis

Analysis that establishes whether different effects

influence/depend on each other. These dependencies

are expressed by means of a matrix.

Cross-organisational business process

A business process that flows across several

organisations or strategic business units, typically in a

business/supply chain or network. IT-supported cross-

organisational processes have become common in the

1990s, due to the diffusion of Enterprise Requirements

Planning (ERP) systems and electronic communication

technologies. The distributed and cooperative nature of

these processes imposes specific requirements with

respect to the design/modelling, execution &

coordination and management of such processes, that

are eventually translated at the application level into

interoperability and EAI issues.

CRUD-matrix

� Specifies what types of operations can be applied to

items, namely: create, read, update and delete.

66

� The relationships between activities in a process and

items are expressed in terms of ‘item relations’. Four

types of item relations corresponding to the four

CRUD operations are distinguished. The item

relations are often represented in the form of a

CRUD-matrix.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

1. The management of all the client-related business

processes in an organisation.

2. The continuous development and evolution of

relationships with individual clients in order to identify

the mutual benefits following from these

relationships.

67

Data architecture

Indicates how data used/produced during processes

should be divided into relatively autonomous structures,

for example based on dependencies, administration,

exploitation, responsibilities, etc.

Data flow

Stream of data generated by a process or a system.

Data infrastructure

An infrastructure consisting of all data and data

storages, which are shared and used by all/several

information systems in an organisation.

Data modelling

The analysis (e.g., identification and naming) of data

objects that are used in a business or other context, the

identification of the relationships among these data

objects and the visual representation of these objects

and relationships in the form of a diagram.

��

68

Most data modelling approaches use squares or

rectangles to represent each individual data item and

arrows or edges for representing the relationships

between them. Well known notations for data modelling

are UML class diagrams and Enterprise Relationship

Diagrams.

Data-oriented modelling

Modelling style according to which one first models the

items, and the possible operations on them and

constraints related to them. Thus, first the items and the

information flows in the organisation are modelled and

then the actors and their behaviour.

Decomposition

Division of a system in sub-systems based on a well

defined criterion.

Deming cycle (also: Deming circle or PDCA cycle)

A model to monitor the activities within an organisation.

The four related central concepts of the Deming cycle

are:

• plan - making a plan that includes the results to be

achieved

69

• do – execute the plan

• check – compare the results with what should

have been accomplished.

• act – in case of significant differences, taking of

measures that would eventually facilitate the

achievement of the expected results.

The Deming cycle contains the most important steps of a

management cycle in general and for the management of

processes in particular. A graphical representation of the

Deming cycle is given below.

Afspreken

PlanPlannen

Afspreken

PlanPlannen

UitvoeringsfaseUitvoeringsfase

AcceptatiefaseAcceptatiefase

EvaluatiefaseEvaluatiefase

ResultaatOutput

OnderhandelingsfaseOnderhandelingsfase

Handelen

ActHandelen

ActDoen

DoUitvoeren

Doen

DoUitvoeren

Evalueren

CheckControl

Evalueren

CheckControl

Afspreken

PlanPlannen

Plan

UitvoeringsfaseExecution phase

AcceptatiefaseAcceptation phase

EvaluatiefaseEvaluation phase

ResultOutput

OnderhandelingsfaseNegotiation phase

Handelen

ActActDoen

DoUitvoeren

Do

Evalueren

CheckControl

Check

70

DEMO (Design and Engineering Methodology for

Organisations)

Method for business process modelling based on the

language action perspective, developed at Delft

University of Technology. In DEMO, a business process

is a chain of transactions, and the result of a transaction

can be described as a fact. DEMO used the Object

Role Modelling technique for describing facts.

Departmental Process Expert (DPE)

Person that monitors (within a particular department)

the correct execution of business processes. In this

way the DPE supports the process owner. Nevertheless

the process owner bears the responsibility for the BP

correctness.

Design

Representation of a desired system that consists of one

or more models.

Design approach for processes

See re-design approach for processes.

71

Design specification

A description of the components of a system and of the

way these components work together. Often design

specifications expressed in terms of by means of

models.

Design decision

A decision during a design process, often based on

some design criterion or principle.

Design essence

Identifies the facts/conditions that must hold in any case

for the process which is re-designed. These

facts/conditions constitute the starting point of the

process design, which will be further detailed.

Design pattern

A general repeatable solution (based on experience) to

a commonly-occurring (process) design problem.

Designing

The development of a new system (organisation,

process, application) based on design criteria and

architectural principles.

72

Detail process schema

See ‘process description’.

Diamond symbol

Symbol used in flow diagrams to represent choices and

parallel flows.

Distribution channel

That part of the organisation that is positioned between

the client and the actor that executes the actual work,

i.e., the primary processes. Examples of distribution

channel are CRM department, independent advisors, or

the front office.

Documentation field

In a documentation field one may find supplementary

information/instructions regarding (associated with) a

certain process element.

Domain

1. A focus-area or an aspect-area, e.g., primary

processes domain, application domain.

73

2. The set of possible value a parameter or attribute

may take, e.g., the domain of the ‘age’ attribute is

a number between 0 and 120

Dutch BPM forum

Independent platform for the exchange of knowledge,

experience, best practices and solutions in the area of

BPM.

74

E-business

Doing business electronically, for example by using the

Internet or other electronic networks. The term e-

business is used first by IBM and covers more than just

e-commerce. E-business covers the whole value chain

and aims at the automation of the procurement and

sales and collaboration with partners. The term e-

business to also designate information technology

platforms used for e-business.

E-commerce

The use of Internet as market and as a new distribution

channel for products and services. E-commerce is

mostly seen as part of the e-business strategy of an

organisation.

Effectiveness

Also defined as ‘Doing the right things’. The extent to

which products and services (the output of a process)

meet the requirements and expectations of clients. If

this is indeed the case, then the process is regarded as

being effective. At the organisation level, effectiveness

��

75

is seen as the ability of a company, business unit or

task group the do the right things in order to achieve

certain goals with available means and human

resources. Thus, any effectiveness analysis focuses on

the combination of people, means and market.

Examples of effectiveness process indicators are

‘supplier reliability’, ‘delivery time’, etc.

Efficacy

See ‘efficiency’.

Efficiency

Also defined as ‘Doing the things right’. A broad

interpretation of this is to define efficiency as making

use optimally from the available resources (people and

means). The core question in a global efficiency

analysis is: ‘do we use the right combination of

available resources in order to achieve the goals that

have been set with costs as low as possible?’

Examples of efficiency process indicators are

‘completion time’, ‘operational costs’, etc.

EFQM

See European Foundation for Quality Management.

76

Enterprise Alignment (Enterprise Alignment

Cycle)

Refers to the ongoing process every company goes

through to keep the elements of the organisation

aligned with the organisation's strategy and goals.

Vertical alignment is used to assure that process and

activity measures and the measures used to evaluate

managerial performance are all aligned with corporate

goals. Horizontal alignment, or process improvement,

focuses in assuring that all of the activities that take

place in a process are aligned with the goals of the

process. In most organisations, change is constant and

thus, the organisation is always working to realign,

vertically and horizontally, to keep everything in sync

with the changing strategy and aims of the organisation.

(www.bptrends.com/resources_glossary.cfm)

Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)

Methods and means that can be used to modernise,

consolidate, integrate and coordinate the software

application in an organisation.

77

Enterprise architecture (EA) (business architecture)

Enterprise Architecture (EA) is the complete, consistent

and coherent set of methods, rules, models and tools

which will guide the (re)design, migration,

implementation and governance of business processes,

organisational structures, information systems and the

technical infrastructure of an organisation according to

a vision.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Refers to the internal planning of the business, logistics

and human resources. All the software systems

supporting the ERP-processes are called ERP-

systems.

Enterprise Service Bus

Architectural pattern that provides a solution for the

communication between service providers and service

consumers and it is typically used as application

integration solution in SOAs.

78

Environmental actors

Actors, within or outside an organisation (‘in the

environment’) playing a role in a business process (e.g.,

clients, suppliers or intermediaries).

Ergonomics

The extent to which the way offices are furnished is

suitable for supporting the execution of processes.

ERP-systems

Applications supporting the business processes in the

back-office.

Essence model

A model in which only the essential process activities

are modelled together with (only) the essential

precedence relationships between them.

European Foundation for Quality Management

(EFQM)

A non-profit collaboration between European

companies. Founded in 1988, it stimulates and

promotes Total Quality Management as fundamental

79

method to strengthen the position of the European

company on the global market.

Event

1. A perceivable phenomenon that takes place at a

certain moment in time.

2. An occurrence of a particular condition (which may

be internal or external to the workflow

management system) which causes the workflow

management software to take one or more

actions. For example the arrival of a particular type

of email message may cause the workflow system

to start an instance of a specific process definition.

(www.wfmc.org)

Execution costs

See ‘operational costs’.

Extensible Markup Language (XML)

Language for structuring data according to a schema

(also described in XML). XML is an open standard of

the World Wide Web Consortium. Other open

standards, such as, BPEL and SOAP make use of XML

as underlying language.

80

Extreme design

Modelling style according to which the process design

is fully subordinated to one or a few design criteria; the

idea is to stimulate the creativity, when creating a

design that optimizes a single criterium.

81

Fall back scenario

Alternative scenario that is executed if the

current/primary scenario fails to be implemented o rit

turns out not be feasible.

Fault percentage

The number of services/products delivered to clients,

which do not meet the quality requirements.

Flexibility

The extent to which a process can be easily and rapidly

changed in order to meet changing client requirements

or new products or services.

Flow diagram

See ‘flowchart’.

Flowchart (flow diagram, flow schema)

A diagrammatic technique that uses a standardised

notation to describe the course of certain process.

��

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Follow-up of an audit

Consists of:

� Taking measures by managers/employees as

consequence of an audit.

� Discussing these measures with the quality

coordinator/auditor.

� Monitoring the implementation of the new way of

working.

� Control the effectiveness of taken measures.

Format

The manner in which the process is specified

determines which aspects of the process are described

and how (lay-out, communication).

Front Office (FO)

Part of an organisation through which clients get in

contact with the product and services delivered by that

organisation.

FTE (Full Time Equivalent)

Time equivalent of a full-time position (in general 40

hours/week).

83

Function

The desired contribution of an organisation to the

environment, while abstracting from the manner in

which this contribution is realised.

Function allocation

Refers to the mapping between available persons and

function profiles. Thus, a clear overview of the functions

that occupied can be created.

Function description

A description of the tasks that should be carried out by

an employee or of the competencies a person

occupying a certain position in the organisation must

fulfil. By an exhaustive function description the structure

of the organisation up to the employee level is worked

out.

Function model

A hierarchically ordered collection of functions that

cover a certain part of an organisation. Also describes

the contribution of (a part of) an organisation to the

environment.

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Function orientation

Paradigm promoting the organisation of a company

based on business functions. In this case the

departments are organised around critical functions,

such as: procurement, human resources, CRM,

manufacturing, etc. See also ‘process orientation’.

Function-process matrix

Matrix in which on the horizontal axis the

functions/departments are represented and on the

vertical axis the business processes/value chains are

represented. Thus one has an overview on which

functions are involved in which business processes.

Function profile

Description of a function in terms of tasks,

responsibilities, competencies required for a certain

function/position. Function profiles are often

formulated based on the general structure of the

organisation and based on the tasks, responsibilities,

competencies derived from the functions that are

necessary for the execution of business processes.

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Functional design

A design, structured and documented in a document

such that it can serve as basis for a request for quotes,

i.e., an offer (quote) can be made for the realisation of

the product described in the functional design and the

beneficiary of that product can decide if the product

complies to the functional design.

Functional analysis

Techniques for the validation of a model. By using

functional analysis it is possible to identify which steps

must occur in a process, in which order and if there are

any exceptions.

Functional component

A distinct component of a software application that has

a well defined function for the organisation.

Functional process

Process that falls entirely within a functional area or

department. The functional/departmental borders are

also the process borders, which is completely carried

out internaly by that department/function.

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Functional specification (FS)

A description of the support that must be provided by

an information system or software application to a

particular business process.

Functionary

Person to which a set of process tasks and

responsibilities is assigned.

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Generic process

Process applicable in more situations or organisations,

independently from the concrete product concerned in

that process.

Generic process component

A part of a process applicable in more situations or

organisations, independently from the concrete product

concerned in that process. Example hereof are the

process components for scanning or registering of mail,

or for a risk estimation.

Geography

Refers to the geographic distribution of means (people,

systems, buildings). Special attention is paid to the

relation between the geographic distribution and the

efficient execution of the various tasks in processes.

Global process schema

Diagramming technique that describes schematically

and globally (using symbols) the course of a process.

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Often a global process schema is combined with a

textual description of the contents of a process step.

Goal

The result the execution of a specific process or activity

is aiming at.

Governance level

In general a distinction is made between three

governance levels: strategic, tactical and operational.

Governance process

Process that aims to facilitate the execution of policies

trough planning, control, evaluation and steering.

Growth model

A multi-level organisational development model. The

idea is that each level indicates a certain maturity

phase of the organisation. Furthermore, reaching a

following level is only possible if the organisation fulfils

to a large extent all the requirements corresponding to

the current level.

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Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points

(HACCP)

A management and norm system for the monitoring the

food safety.

Hierarchic process schema

A diagramming technique that shows the hierarchical

division of the existing processes in an organisation.

Hierarchy diagram

Diagram showing the hierarchical lines in an

organisation (i.e., indicates who must report, is

responsible for the behaviour of or can delegate work to

whom).

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ICT architecture

The discipline focusing on the design and

implementation of applications and information systems

in an organisation.

IDEF (Integrated Definition / ICAM Definition

languages)

Family of modelling techniques (“definition languages”),

originally developed by the US Department of Defence.

The most widely recognised of these languages are

IDEF0 for function modelling and IDEF1/IDEF1X for

information modelling. IDEF was broadly adopted by

various organisations because of its compactness and

it has been widely used by CASE vendors in the late

Eighties.

Impact-of-change (analysis)

Type of analysis that identifies which parts of an

organisation will be affected by a change and what are

the effects of that change. Based on bottlenecks,

priorities and constraints and using specific analysis

techniques the consequences and scope of a certain

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change can be estimated. Also see the re-design

approach.

A graphical representation of the different change levels

is given below.

Smallimprovements

Improvement of(sub) process

Redesign of process

Redesign of business �

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�Redesign of value chain

Implementation

The set up of an organisation and of its management. It

assumes the creation of models describing and

documenting on different detail levels (processes, sub-

processes, procedures) the design and functioning of

the organisation. Such models must facilitate the

92

analysis of key performance indicators, such as,

delivery time, quality and risk indicators, which in turn

allow the identification of possible improvements. These

possible improvements lead eventually to change and

implementation management.

Implementation model

Model that describes how processes must be

operationalised. Refers to physical issues, such as,

people and machines, operations, tasks and

procedures, and their allocation.

Indicators

Process-specific measures that must be measured in

order to quantify and calculate the performance, risk

and quality of a process. They are an indication of the

manner in which the process behaves. In practice an

indicator is often a ratio (with nominator and

denominator). It shows a trend and it assumes

continuous, progressing measurements. We distinguish

three types of indicators: performance indicators (PIs),

risk indicators (RIs) and quality indicators.

Examples of indicators are: completion time, delivery

reliability and fault rate.

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Information alignment

An indication of the extent to which the information

provisioning meets the information need. The

information alignment has to be analysed from two

perspectives (for both information provisioning and

information need): the information content and the

information streams.

Information architecture

Architecture that describes how the information

provisioning can be designed and deployed in order to

support business processes in relatively autonomous

organisational areas, and how the information

provisioning in these areas relate to each-other and

how together they form the total information

provisioning.

Information need

Information needed for the optimal execution of

business processes. The information need can be

derived from the process course (what information is

needed for the execution of a certain process), the

process structure (what information is needed for

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coupling/coordinating processes to/with each other;

management information is of relevance here) and from

the organisation structure (what information is needed

in order to let the organisation function as a whole).

Furthermore, legal stipulations may also determine the

need for information.

Information provisioning

Indicates which information is available and how it is

accessible and administered. Information technology

plays an important role in information provisioning. For

analysis purposes one can use check-lists and models,

for example to give insight into the exchange of

information with clients and suppliers. Therefore the

accuracy, timeliness, completness etc. of the available

information are very important.

Information stream

The exchange of information within and between

organisations, systems and processes.

Information support

A medium or object on which information is

stored/preserved, such as forms, CDs, tapes, etc.

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Information system

A structured whole of people, means (e.g., application

code) and activities, supporting business processes

with the provisioning, processing and administration of

needed information/data.

Information technology (IT)

Generic name for department or function that analyses,

creates, maintains and supports applications and

databases used by an organisation.

Infrastructure

A collection of more or less similar and collectively used

(basic) facilities together with their services, standards,

rules and guidelines for usage.

Infrastructure architecture

Architecture of the technical infrastructure of an

enterprise (basic systems for the collective use of

everybody in the organisation). Typical examples

hereof are operating systems, hardware, middleware,

data communication (such as internet connection),

networks.

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INK

Abbreviation that stands for the Instituut Nederlandse

Kwaliteit (The Institute of Dutch Quality). It is a

foundation that aims at enhancing the quality of

business management, based on the INK management

model. It has been founded in 1991 as result of an

initiative of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

INK-management model

Coherent management model in which all the important

characteristics of an organisation are addressed. It is

an overview of the nine focal areas of organisations

(sub-divided into organisational areas and results

areas) that are critical for the business excellence and

success of an organisation. A graphical representation

of this model is given below.

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leadership

employees

strategy&

policies

means

processes

organisationorganisation

learning & improvinglearning & improving

Appreciation by employees

Appreciation by clients andsuppliers

Appreciation by employees

end-results

resultresult

Appreciation by employees

Appreciation by clients andsuppliers

Appreciation by employees

end-results

resultresult

structurestructure

The development phases in the INK-model are:

orientedProcess System Chain Transformation

R

R

Fase III

afnemer

leverancier

samenleving

Fase IV

Activity

Phase I Phase II Phase III Phase IV Phase V

R

R

Phase III

client

supplier

Society

Phase IV

oriented oriented oriented oriented

Innovation approach for processes

A step-wise plan and systematic approach for the

discovery of innovation opportunities within an

organisation. It starts with the formulation of motivation

from a business strategy perspective. The result is a

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portfolio of worked out innovation ideas. The innovation

approach is depicted below.

1

general business goals, motivation & strategy

Analyse start situationunderstanding the goals and stakeholders, description of the context of

the organisation, start with the gathering of information & knowledge

2 Create awareness

overview of innovation, awareness w.r.t. the role of innovation, motivation &commitment for innovation, recognition of the need for facilitating measure

3 Determine focus

motivation of the focus, description of the focus

4 Generate ideas

set of documented ideas

5 Evaluate

Innovation goals: portfolio of innovative ideas Input

Necessary information for the execution of (a part of a)

process.

Input measurements

Measurements that indicate the quality of the input data

fed into a process. These measurements can be used

to evaluate if a process receives the right input in order

to start and produce a good result.

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Implementation

The set-up of an organisation and of its management. It

assumes the creation of models describing and

documenting on different detail levels (processes, sub-

processes, procedures) the design and functioning of

the organisation. Such models must facilitate the

analysis of key performance indicators, such as,

delivery time, quality and risk indicators, which in turn

allow the identification of possible improvements. These

possible improvements lead eventually to change and

implementation management.

Implementation model

Model that describes how processes must be

operationalised. Refers to physical issues, such as,

people and machines, operations, tasks and

procedures, and their allocation.

Instituut Nederlandse Kwaliteit

See ‘INK’.

Instructions

Prescriptions, protocols, etc.

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Integrated definition

See ‘IDEF’.

Interaction

A common activity, carried out by two or more parties,

and in which each party is responsible for its part in the

interaction: passing over information, coordinating with

other participants in the interaction in order to achieve

together the expected result.

Interaction model

1. The IT interaction model is a holistic view of

Management Information Systems in the context of the

organisation. According to Mark S. Silver, the model

addresses the interaction of an information system's

features with five elements of the organisation:

• its external environment,

• its strategy,

• its structure and culture,

• its business processes, and

• its IT infrastructure.

The model considers the consequences of this

interaction for system use, for organisational

performance, for the organisation's personnel, and for

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the firm's future flexibility. Moreover, the model relates

various aspects of the interaction process to the phases

of the development and implementation lifecycles.

(Wikipedia)

2. Model that gives insight in the functioning of an

organisation area under change. It also gives an

overview of the data collections relevant for that area

and of their underlying relationships.

Interaction point

A component of a system (actor, organisation,

application, role) where interactions can take place,

such as, the counter of an office or the interface of an

application.

Interdependency

Underlying relationship between two activities in a

process that imposes a certain execution order.

Interface

1. Component of a system (actor, organisation,

application, role) that provides access to the services

offered by that system or through which that system

can access services offered by other systems or

applications.

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2. Connection point between independent (sub-)

processes, where the output if one process is passed

as input to the other process.

Interface model

Model used to describe the services/products offered to

clients by an organisation. A physical interface model

also describes the realisation of these

services/products while focusing on the physical

properties such as location, communication medium,

time, etc.

Internal client-supplier relation

Relationship between two departments in an

organisation in which one department (supplier)

delivers a product or service to the other department

(internal client), which is subsequently used as input in

the client’s processes.

Internal control (IC)

All the control procedures and tests that are carried out

by the management team of an organisation in general

on business processes and in particular on information

systems and on administration. These cover both the

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internal control procedures built in administrative

processes and the control procedures that are carried

out by independent control functions/bodies.

International Organisation for Standardization

(ISO)

Network of national standardisation institutes which

develops international standards.

IPO-schema

Technique for the description of processes in which a

page is divided in three columns. In each column, by

means of text or symbols a structured description of the

input, process steps and output of a process is given.

ISO 9000

An international standard for how organisations should

document their processes. It encourages organisations

to create a well-defined process architecture.

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ISO 9000:2000

The principles of quality management systems and the

definitions of the corresponding fundamental terms.

ISO 9001:2000

Requirements for quality management systems which

must be used by organisations in order to demonstrate

that they are capable of delivering products and

services that comply with existing laws and meet the

needs of the clients.

A graphical representation of the ISO 9001:2000 model

is given below:

Quality management systems

input output

Directieverantwoordelijkheid

Directieverantwoordelijkheid

Managementvan middelenManagementvan middelen

Meting, analyseen verbetering

Meting, analyseen verbetering

Realiseren vanproduct/dienstRealiseren vanproduct/dienst

kwaliteitsmanagement-systeem

Continuous improvement of

input output

Directieverantwoordelijkheid

Directionresponsibility

Managementvan middelenManagement

of meansMeting, analyseen verbetering

Measure, analyseand improve

Realiseren vanproduct/dienstRealisation of

products/services

quality management -system

Clie

ntre

quire

men

ts

Clie

ntsa

tisfa

ctio

n

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ISO 9004:2000

Standard for the definition of a quality management

system, covering also the continuous quality

improvement process (e.g., contains guidelines for

performance improvement).

ISO 19011:2002

Standard specification and guidelines for carrying out

quality and milieu management system audits.

Item domain

Description of the information that is used or produced

during processes and the way this information is used

by specific activities.

Item

BiZZdesigner concept representing data used/produced

by actors while executing some piece of behaviour.

Items play an important role in information-intensive

processes.

Examples hereof are a form, a request, an offer or a

client file.

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Iteration

A process/workflow activity cycle involving the repetitive

execution of one (or more) process/workflow activity(s)

until a condition is met. (www.wfmc.org)

ITIL

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)

is a set of concepts and techniques for managing

information technology (IT) infrastructure, development,

and operations.

ITIL is published in a series of books, each of which

cover an IT management topic. The names ITIL and IT

Infrastructure Library are registered trademarks of the

United Kingdom's Office of Government Commerce

(OGC). ITIL gives a detailed description of a number of

important IT practices with comprehensive checklists,

tasks and procedures that can be tailored to any IT

organisation. (Source: Wikipedia)

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Juridical dependency

Dependency of processes on laws and regulations.

Here we refer at stipulations concerning certification,

privacy, security, and labour law. The juridical

dependency decreases with the increase in process

flexibility.

Just-in-Time (JIT)

Refers to the procurement of materials in the right

quantities, at the right moment and in the right place.

Originated in the Japanese approach for manufacturing

organisations, has as main goal serving clients

optimally while maintaining the stocks at a minimum

level. The idea is that JIT leads to short completion

times and low stocks and increases the transparency of

the manufacturing process.

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Kaizen

Japanese term that literally means ‘improvement’ (also

known as the Japanese version of TQM). The concept

is used to designate the continuous effort to improve

processes to which everything and everybody in the

organisation is committed.

Key Performance Indicator

Essential performance indicator usually derived from

critical success factors.

Key Risk Indicator

Measure indicating in an early stage if there is a chance

that something will go wrong in a process. A KRI is

always coupled to risk which may occur in that process.

Key-user

User having extensive experience with a certain tool

and is the contact person for the daily problems with

that tool. The key-user also offers support to process

designers. This role is often played by a process

architect or an experienced process designer.

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Laws and regulations

Laws and regulations (internal and external) to which

(the execution of) a process must comply.

Legacy system

An (outdated) information system, that often is also

critical and supports core competencies in the

organisation, and with which new applications must

integrate/interoperate.

Level of instructions

Concerns the workplace/ work floor; is prescriptive and

consists of protocols, work instructions, etc.

Library of models

A central storage facility for models and/or components,

generally accessible for many users. Most libraries

provide services such as version and configuration

management, check-in/check-out and locking

mechanisms, etc.

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Logical model

Model that represents/describes the functional and

logical structure of business processes. A logical model

does not address aspects, such as, time, place, people

or machines.

Logistics

All the preparation processes and (management)

operations in an organisation for needed for

administering and procuring supplies that are

necessary for the production/delivery of products and

services.

Logistics management

The management of the workflows in the operational

processes. Decision making concerning supplies,

completion times, etc. are typical for logistics

management.

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Main process

Process realising the main functions of an organisation,

such as, procurement, production and sales. Main

processes are sub-divided into sub-processes according

to their complexity

Manage (giving direction, leading, steer, govern)

1. Defining the borders, rules and triggers that apply to

a process.

2. Important aspects of process management are,

among others, the identification of responsibilities,

the coordination of the development, monitoring of

performance and quality, etc.

3. Also concerns the identification of process norms

and the activities that will ensure that those norms

will be met. Management is a continuous activity

which cover the following cyclic sub activities:

- establish norms

- measuring

- compare process results with norms

-steer.

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Management

The design, management and maintenance of an

organisation and of business processes within that

organisation in order to archive the planned goals as

stated in its business strategy and mission.

Management by Objectives (MBO)

Ideas introduced in 1954 by F. Drucker. The central

idea is the identification of goals derived from the

expected results. The arguments for this idea are that

employees should not be continuously told what they

have to do and how they have to do it. Instead they

should be told what are the specific goals and the

corresponding means, competencies and quality

requirements. Subsequently, it would be the task of the

employees to decide how they can achieve those goals

as efficient and effective as possible.

Management Control System (MCS)

A system which gathers and uses information to

evaluate the performance of different organisational

resources like human, physical, financial and also the

organisation as a whole considering the organisational

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strategies. Finally, MCS influences the behaviour of

organisational resources to implement organisational

strategies. MCS might be formal or informal. The term

‘management control’ was given of its current

connotations by Robert N. Anthony.

Anthony defined management control as the process by

which managers influence other members of the

organisation to implement the organisation’s strategies.

Management control systems are tools to aid

management for steering an organisation toward its

strategic objectives. (Source: Wikipedia)

Management processes (steering, control, tertiary

processes) 1. Processes that create the facilitating conditions for

the execution of primary and secondary processes.

2. Processes consisting of activities of managers

supporting and steering the primary and secondary

processes.

3. Processes for the steering of an organisation (policy

cycle, planning and control).

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Management reporting

Providing insight (expressed in terms of indicators’

values) in the performance of certain business

units/departments.

In management reports are often mentioned elements

regarding the vision and strategy for longer or shorter

term.

Mapping

See ‘process-mapping’.

McKinsey model

See ‘Seven-S-model’.

Measure

Unit used to measure a performance indicator (PI) and

to compare it with a norm.

(Taking) Measures

Describing the way to be followed in order to achieve a

desired situation.

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Metamodel

A formal model that defines the concepts of a

(modelling) language and of the relationships that are

allowed between instances of these concepts.

Migration approach for processes

Approach for the implementation of the developed re-

design (i.e., of the results of the re-design phase):

planning the migration process, developing the (new)

products and services, implementing/carrying out the

change.

A graphical representation of the migration approach is

given below.

1

Choosen (re)design, commitment

Plan migration roadmap

2

Realise plan

Develop products

Business rules, functional description, software

3 Implement change

Running processes

Impa

ct o

f Cha

nge

anal

yse

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Mission

The primary function of an organisation; the reason of

its existence.

Model

Simplified representation of certain aspects of a real

process, concept or system. A model always serves

one or more goals. A model will reproduce as accurate

as possible only those aspects of the real

process/concept/system that are relevant for the

defined goals.

Model Driven Architecture (MDA)

MDA has emerged as a new approach for the design

and realisation of software and has eventually evolved

in a collection of standards that raise the level of

abstraction at which software solutions are specified.

Thus, MDA fosters a design process and tools that

support the specification of software in languages such

as UML rather than in programming languages like

Java.

The central idea is that design models at different levels

of abstraction are derived from each other through

model transformations. More specifically, different

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platform-specific models (PSMs) can be derived (semi-)

automatically from the same platform-independent

model (PIM), making use of information contained by a

platform model. More recently, MDA has extended its

focus to more business-oriented concepts and

languages, reflecting the growing awareness that it is

important to take into account business considerations

in software development decisions. For this purpose,

MDA has been extended with a computation-

independent model (CIM) layer.

Modelling

Determining the order in which models are created the

actual creation of those models. The basic steps of

process-oriented modelling are depicted below.

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Basic steps for process-oriented modelling

P1

Identify and scope processa) Select work streamb) Determine trigger and result

P2

Refine processa) Extend process with secondary activties and exceptionsb) Describe process in more detail

P3Structure processDivide process into sub-processes by logically groupingactions tghat belong with each other, e.g., because theybelong to the same process phase

P4

Assign actors to processa) Identify actorsb) Assign actors to activities

Basic steps for process-oriented modelling

P1

Identify and scope processa) Select work streamb) Determine trigger and result

P2

Refine processa) Extend process with secondary activties and exceptionsb) Describe process in more detail

P3Structure processDivide process into sub-processes by logically groupingactions tghat belong with each other, e.g., because theybelong to the same process phase

P4

Assign actors to processa) Identify actorsb) Assign actors to activities

Modelling conventions

Generally accepted rules concerning modelling.

Modelling goal

The purpose that a process model eventually must

serve. Such a purpose may be, for example, carrying

out a cost analysis, describing the course of a process

or communicating a change in an existing process. It is

important to clearly identify the modelling goal before

starting modelling, since the modelling goal may be

critical for the selection of a certain model type. If the

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wrong model type was selected, then there is a great

risk that the questions the model was supposed to

answer will remain unanswered or the resulted model

will not be suitable for communication purposes.

Modelling template

A selection of modelling techniques and symbols from a

larger set.

Model type

Model with prescribed contents or structure that is

known to be suitable for certain analysis or design

goals.

Mutual Collaboration Agreement (MCA)

Informal contract between a supplier and a client that is

established in case the supplier’s performance is not

measurable. Such a contract specifies how the parties

will work together in the given situation.

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Nolan’s stages-of-growth model

The stages-of-growth model is a theoretical model for

the growth of information technology (IT) in a business

or similar organisation. It was developed by Richard L.

Nolan during the 1970s. The model proposes that

evolution of IT in organisations begins slowly in Stage I,

the "initiation" stage. This stage is marked by "hands

off" user awareness and an emphasis on functional

applications to reduce costs. Stage I is followed by

further growth of IT in the "contagion" stage. In this

stage there is a proliferation of applications as well as

the potential for more problems to arise. During Stage

III a need for "control" arises. Centralized controls are

put in place and a shift occurs from management of

computers to management of data resources. Next, in

Stage IV, "integration" of diverse technological solutions

evolves. Management of data allows development

without increasing IT expenditures in Stage V. Finally,

in Stage VI, "maturity", high control is exercised by

using all the information from the previous stages.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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Norm system

A quantitative definition of a set of related indicators.

Examples of norm systems are ISO and Hazard

Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).

Norm

A minimal or maximal value or a range in which the

measured values of a certain performance indicator

must have.

If related to a certain time frame norms can be used to

formulate (quantitatively) business goals.

Non-Value Adding Activity

Process or activity that neither adds value to a final

product or service, nor enables activities that add value.

In most cases these activities are left over from older

processes and somehow continue even though they

are no longer necessary and they add noting to a

specific process.

(www.bptrends.com/resources_glossary.cfm)

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Object

1. A coherent, self-contained (logical or physical)

piece of information that is suitable for automated

processing and/or has relevance from a business

perspective.

2. An instance (or instantiation) of a class (in object-

oriented programming).

Object Management Group (OMG)

A non-profit organisation and international consortium

of companies that work together to create standards for

advanced software engineering technologies. The OMG

developed and maintains standards, such as CORBA,

the Unified Modeling Language (UML) for diagramming

software and business systems, and the Model Driven

Architecture (MDA) a systematic way of maintaining

reusable software components and using them to

generate code for specific applications. For more

information see www.omg.org.

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Object model

1. A collection of objects (or classes) through which a

program can examine and manipulate some

specific parts of its world. In other words, the

object-oriented interface to some service or

system. Such an interface is said to be the object

model of the represented service or system.

2. A structured description of objects.

Object Role Modelling (ORM)

A powerful method for designing and querying

conceptual data models, in which an application is

described in terms that are also easy to understand for

non-technical users.

Operation

The smallest component of a process step executed at

a certain moment by one person/system in one place

(i.e., it is a unit of work in terms of time, place and

operation and which is recognized as such by an

employee). In case the activity is part of an automated

process, the activity coincides with a system function.

Very often their content is very specific and therefore

they are regarded as work instructions.

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An example of operation is ‘check social security

number’.

Operational costs (execution costs)

The costs of the execution of a process. The usage of

resources (people and means) determines the

operational costs of a process. Resources have certain

costs per time unit. Furthermore resources are

assigned to activities which have a duration. The

determination of the costs of a resource per time unit

may depend on variable costs and fixed costs. The

precise calculation of costs can be done using different

methodologies, such as activity-based costing (ABC).

Operational goal

Goal focused on and related to the execution or

management of processes or of the organisation on the

operational level.

Operationalisation

The execution of processes and of process

management (i.e., identification of external triggers that

initiate business processes, execution of activities

according to the process specification, and ensuring the

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process performance according to the agreed service

level agreements (SLA’s).

Operational process

Process during which products and services are

produced for and delivered to the external client.

Examples of this are: development of new products and

services, manufacturing processes, logistics and

distribution.

Operational risk

The risk of having loses as a consequence of failing

internal processes, people or systems or as a

consequence of external events.

Operational Risk Management (ORM)

Managing operational risks having as goal the

maintenance of an acceptable (controllable) risk level

and the avoidance (as much as possible)

unidentified/unpredictable risks.

Organisational chart

Diagram representing the division of an organisation in

units, departments and sub-departments. Traditional

126

way of showing the relationships between departmental

and functional units or the reporting relationships

between managers within an organisation.

Organisational foundations

The focus areas that a manager must particularly

consider when administering an organisation are::

� Strategy (Value & Development)

� Structure (processes & organisation)

� Culture (leadership & values)

� People (competence development)

� Means (ICT, money, facilities)

� Results (products & effects)

A grafical representation of the foundations is given

below:

127

Strategie

Middelen

Cultuur

ResultatenS

truct

urer

Wat

Hoe

Waarmee

Hoe

Mensen Middelen

Org

anis

atie

Producten Effecten

Basis-

waarden

Strategy

Means

CultureResults

Stru

ctur

eWhat

How

With what

How

People Means

Org

anis

atio

nP

roce

sses

Products Effects

Basis-

valuesLeadership

Feasibility

Livability

Man

agea

bilit

ySteerability

Organisational management

Determining the desired performance of the

organisation on all levels and for short, medium and

long term, monitoring the progress in this respect and

steering those parts of the organisation which do not

perform according to the set performance goals.

128

Organisational model

Model that describes the hierarchical relationships

between the parts (e.g., units, departments, etc.) of an

organisation , their structure, composition and tasks.

Organisational part

Clearly distinguishable organisational unit (e.g., unit,

department, group etc.), which is responsible for the

execution of a work process.

Organisational procedure

Prescription such as a business rule, job/function

description and administrative organisation

documentation.

Organisational role

See role.

Organisational structure

The division of an organisation in departments and sub-

departments and the authority lines (reporting and

responsibilities). There are two perspectives from which

the organisational structure can be regarded: the

129

process perspective and the function perspective. In the

first case we relate the organisational structure with the

process structure, while in the second case the

combination of people/units and functions they have

(i.e., the ‘function allocation’) is of relevance.

Organisation for the Advancement of Structured

Information Standards (OASIS)

International organisation that facilitates the

development and usage of e-business standards.

OR-join

1. A symbol that is used in behaviour modelling to

express the fact that an activity following an OR-

join may have several causes. For example,

‘accept claim’ or ‘reject claim’ may both be the

reason to ‘inform client’.

2. A point within the workflow where two or more

alternative workflow branches re-converge to a

single common activity as the next step within the

workflow. (www.wfmc.org)

130

OR-split (choice)

1. A symbol that is used in behaviour modelling to

express the fact that at the place of an OR-spilt a

choice must be made in the process between a

number of alternative activities following that or-

split.

2. A point within the workflow where a single thread

of control makes a decision upon which branch to

take when encountered with multiple alternative

workflow branches. (www.wfmc.org)

Overhead Value Analysis (OVA)

Methodology (developed by McKinsey) for the analysis

of overhead costs and of the effectiveness of indirect

activities. In this type of analysis the costs of indirect

activities are weighted against the contribution these

activities have to the primary processes and to

business output of the organisation. The outcome of

such an analysis usually consists of the identification of

the sources of unnecessary spending and of cost cuts.

Output

The result (i.e., end-product) of a (pert of a) process.

131

Output measurement

Measurement of the end results of a process. These

are mostly used to establish if the actual results of a

process conform to the expectations. These are

especially relevant in process sequences where the

output of a process may also be the input for the next

one.

Outsourcing

Occurs when one company hires another company to

manage, maintain and run some portion of its business.

For example, many companies outsource standard

software applications.

132

Pattern

Model or component of a model representing a solution

proved to be efficient to a commonly recurring problem.

Patterns can be used both for design and analysis

purposes.

Parallel Process

A process in which two or more sequences of activities

are going on simultaneously.

PDCA-circle

See ‘Deming-circle’.

Performance measure

See ‘performance indicator’.

Performance indicator (PI)

1. A measure related to a certain critical success factor,

based on which the performance of the process in

which the measure has been measured can be

��

133

evaluated. In order to define measures quantitatively,

norms are used.

A PI can fall in one of the following categories:

efficiency indicators (costs/ number of FTEs/

completion time), effectiveness indicators (quality/

internal client satisfaction). Also see ‘indicators’.

2. A measurement system that consists of a measure

expressing/representing a certain process performance

aspect and a measurement method, which is a

procedure describing the necessary steps to be

followed in order to collect the data that eventually

indicates the level the above-mentioned measure takes.

Performance management model

Model in which critical success factors identified and

defined.

Performance monitoring process

See ‘process monitoring’.

Performance norm

Norm concerning a performance indicator.

134

Petri net

Mathematical modelling language for the description of

discrete distributed systems. Many extensions have

been proposed to Petri nets. The term high-level Petri

net is used for many Petri net formalisms that extend

the basic formalism, including coloured Petri nets and

hierarchical Petri nets. There are several examples of

the use of (in particular high-level) Petri nets for

modelling business processes or workflows, or for

formalising other process modelling languages.

Pilot

The execution, often using a smaller scale and

temporary model of a system, of an experiment, test or

simulation with the goal of validating certain

assumptions about the functioning of that system.

Plateau

Intermediary phase in the realisation of a large scale

change process (e.g., the realisation of a new

enterprise architecture, the replacement of a critical

information system, etc.).

135

Porter’s value chain model

A technique for the identification and classification of

business processes, in which processes that have

added value as primary processes are emphasized.

Porter’s model constitutes a solid basis for the

optimisation of the critical processes and the analysis of

the contribution of the secondary processes to the

primary processes. A graphical representation of

Porter’s model is given below.

The product and service portfolio helps organisations

have an overview of their offering and market and

facilitate the design and management of business

136

processes such the realisation of the portfolio is

achieved. It is therefore an important starting point for

the process architecture.

Portfolio management

The management of all existing and planned projects

aiming to achieve the business goals with the available

capacity.

Positioning

The way an organisation is positioned in its market. It is

determined by the organisation’s product and service

offering, by the client group and by the relation with the

client.

Precedence

Sequencing/order (of activities) imposed by a certain

priority.

Precedence-analysis

A technique for the detection of critical dependencies

between (inter)actions.

137

Prescription

A rule that indicates how and under which

circumstances a strategy, method, techniques or

means can or must be used.

Primary activity

Value-adding activity.

Primary process

Process resulting in a product or service for an external

client. This type of processes contributes directly to the

goal and mission of the organisation. Examples of such

processes in an insurance company are: processing of

a damage claim or closing a new insurance policy.

Problem owner

Person responsible for finding a solution for a

bottleneck.

Procedure

Structured set of instructions, prescriptions and

protocols at the level of a work place. Procedures

determine and give structure to a process. They specify

which operations must be executed, in which order and

138

who is responsible for their execution. A good

procedure describes a routine for achieving certain

business goals in the most efficient way.

Process

� "A specific ordering of work activities across time and

place, with a beginning, and end, and clearly

identified inputs and outputs: a structure for action."

(Thomas H. Davenport)

� “A business process is a set of logically related tasks

performed to achieve a well-defined business

outcome” (Thomas H. Davenport)

� The sequence of activities that take place between

the request for a service/product (trigger) and the

delivery of that service/product.

Example of processes the processing of a damage

claim, carrying out an operation on a patient, or issuing

and sending a bill.

Process acceptance test

The execution beforehand and based on process

specification of validation checks (also see “process

validation).

139

Process analyst (business analyst)

Person responsible for the modelling, analysis and

description of processes.

Process architect

Person that develops process architecture and is an

expert in the area of process methods and tools. A

process architect is able to manage and carry out the

whole process from analysis to process execution and

can distinguish and handle various methodological

problems and aspects.

Process architecture

1. Schemas and drawing that represent the vision

regarding the relationships, dependencies and

structure of the main business processes in an

organisation.

2. Describes the (sub)processes that contribute to the

realisation of a product or service and their

underlying relationships. Secondary and tertiary

processes may also be described in such a process

architecture. Furthermore, it may contain a

classification a classification/specification of the

triggers of the above mentioned processes. The

140

process architecture constitutes the basis for the

information and application architecture.

3. “A process architecture is a written or diagrammatic

summary of the value chains and business

processes supported by a given organisation. A good

process architecture shows how value chains and

business processes are related to each other and to

the strategic goals of the organisation. […] It's a high-

level architecture of all of the processes in the

organisation.”

(www.bptrends.com/resources_glossary.cfm)

Process architecture model

Reference model that defines and instantiates the core

concepts such as value chain, process, procedure,

work, operation and application service, such that they

can be referred to. Furthermore, it makes the role of

the supporting technology explicit. It is therefore a way

to align business processes with IT support.

A graphical representation of the process architecture

model is given below.

141

ProceduresProcedures

ProcessesProcesses

Value chainValue chain

Application services

WorkWorkWork

OperationsOperations

Process audit (process test)

Independent analysis concerning the functioning of a

process. The goal is to establish whether the process

complies with the process documentation and

description and whether the process meets certain

quality requirements (especially with respect to process

management).

142

Process auditee

Employee interviewed during a process audit.

Process auditor

Person responsible for carrying out an audit and is

neutral with respect to the audited process. The auditor

examines first the process description and other

relevant documents. Subsequently, he interviews the

involved people, while checking if the actual process

complies with the process description.

Process borders

Set of constraints, under which the process must be

executed. These are usually documented in documents

such as SLA’s, indicators, procedures, work

instructions, competencies, process descriptions and

codes of conduct. Process costs

The consequence of the consumption of the necessary

resources (e.g., people, materials, systems, etc.) during

process execution. Processes and process activities

have no costs themselves. Their execution however

143

assumes the use or consumption of certain resources

which generates costs. Therefore in process models

costs are mostly assigned to resources as resource

costs (or tariff), the cost per time unit for using the

resource. However costs that are not modelled

separately are assigned to activities and are called

operational costs. The calculation of the operational

costs is often done outside the process.

Process cycle

Within organisations the continuous renewal and

change of processes is carried out on a cyclic manner.

In general, during a process cycle one may distinguish

between three phases: identify and understand,

manage and improve.

A graphical representation of a process cycle is given

below.

144

Strategy definition

((Re)design

Analysis

Description

Implement

Measure

Manage

identify &understand

manage

improve

Strategy definition

((Re)design

Analysis

Description

Implement

Measure

Manage

identify &understand

manage

improve

Process description (detail process schema, workflow

description).

1. A documented expression of a set of activities

performed to achieve a given purpose. (CMMI V1.2)

2. An operational definition of the major components of

a process. The description specifies, in a complete,

precise, and verifiable manner, the requirements,

design, behaviour, or other characteristics of a

process. It also may include procedures for

determining whether these provisions have been

satisfied. Process descriptions can be found at the

activity, project, or organisational level. (CMMI V1.2)

There are two methods that can be used to produce a

process description:

145

• Graphical, by using a formal modelling notation

and diagramming techniques (flowcharts, Petri

nets, activity diagrams, BiZZdesigner, IDEF,

BPMN)

• Narrative description.

Process designer

Person that specifies business processes. The process

designer models and describes the business processes

up to the level of work instructions. Nevertheless, the

process designer is not responsible for the content of

the modelled processes. This responsibility belongs to

the process manager. Process documentation

Documentation that belongs to a certain process and

supplements the process specification/model with

information by coupling this specification (through

documentation fields) to documents, html pages,

presentations, web sites, etc.

146

Process-driven management

A management method that aims at continuous process

improvement based on the monitoring of processes.

Especially core processes are rigorously screened.

Process engine

A software application that coordinates and monitors

the (distributed) execution of automated process flows.

Process essence

Representation of the essential activities, actors, items

and their relations. This type of model (and modelling

style) is mostly used during process redesign.

Process evaluation

Assessment of the performance of a process. It

assumes the application of an performance analysis

method and the comparison of the result with previously

defined norms. Also see ‘process monitoring’.

147

Process execution

The time period during which the process is

operational, with process instances being created and

managed. (www.wfmc.org)

Process fit

The extent to which the different process elements are

integrated/fit together in a whole. Organisations with a

good ‘process fit’ have achieved that through a good

integration of processes around a specific strategic

focus. It's easy for competitors to copy standard

processes, but it's very hard for competitors to duplicate

business process with a high degree of fit. Process fit is

a concept associated with Michael Porter.

Process flow

The way in which the elements of a business process

are uniquely integrated. It can be internal (describing

the structure of a process) and external (describing the

relationships between processes).

148

Process flower

The process flower is an example of a model that

distinguishes between several different business

process focus areas (i.e., the petals):

� AO & IC

� Quality management

� Process management

� Risk management:

� Application design.

A graphical representation of the process flower model

is given below.

149

AO & IC

Kwaliteitszorg

• kwaliteitsbeheersing

• instrumenten: INK, ISO, BSC • Deming

• vastlegging(hulpmiddelen & technieken)

• analyse

• ontwerp

Risico-management• risicobeheersing

• beheersmaatregelen

• risicomatrix

Applicatieontwerp

Processen

Proces-besturing

• functionelerequirements

• functioneel ontwerp

technisch ontwerp

•SLA’s

•werklastverdeling

•logistiek ontwerp

•indicatoren

AO & IC

Quality management• Quality control

• instruments: INK, ISO, BSC • Deming circle

• Identify and assign means & techniques

• analysis

• design

Riskmanagement• Risk control

• Control measures

• Risk matrix

Applicationdesign

Processes

Processmanagement

• functionalrequirements

• functional design

technical design

•SLA’s

•Worklod distribution

•logistic design

•indicators

AO & IC

Kwaliteitszorg

• kwaliteitsbeheersing

• instrumenten: INK, ISO, BSC • Deming

• vastlegging(hulpmiddelen & technieken)

• analyse

• ontwerp

Risico-management• risicobeheersing

• beheersmaatregelen

• risicomatrix

Applicatieontwerp

Processen

Proces-besturing

• functionelerequirements

• functioneel ontwerp

technisch ontwerp

•SLA’s

•werklastverdeling

•logistiek ontwerp

•indicatoren

AO & IC

Quality management• Quality control

• instruments: INK, ISO, BSC • Deming circle

• Identify and assign means & techniques

• analysis

• design

Riskmanagement• Risk control

• Control measures

• Risk matrix

Applicationdesign

Processes

Processmanagement

• functionalrequirements

• functional design

technical design

•SLA’s

•Worklod distribution

•logistic design

•indicators

Process goal

Results an organisation want to achieve through a

process. Besides it explains why the process should

take place.

150

Process hierarchy

The hierarchical structure of the existing processes

within an organisation.

Process improvement

1. Periodical examination and, if necessary, change of

all processes and way of working in an organisation.

2. Continuous improvement of evaluated business

processes.

The Deming-circle is often used as method to support

process improvement.

Process indicator (process performance indicator)

See ‘indicators’.

Process information

Information necessary for the assessment of process

performance indicators.

Process instance

1. A process diagram describes a generic sequence of

events. An instance describes an actual process which

includes data, real actions, and specific decisions.

151

Workflow systems and simulation systems both keep

track of the data from the execution of specific process

instances in order to determine things like how long the

process actually takes, who handled a specific instance

or how much it cost. In the case of simulation systems,

someone has to supply information about a set of

actual instances.

(www.bptrends.com/resources_glossary.cfm)

2. The representation of a single enactment of a

process. Each instance represents a separate thread of

execution of the process, which may be controlled

independently and will have its own internal state and

externally visible identity, which may be used as a

handle, for example, to record or retrieve audit data

relating to the individual enactment. (www.wfmc.org)

Process-IT matrix

A matrix created by listing processes on the horizontal

axis and IT applications or other (IT) architectural

elements on the vertical axis. This matrix shows what IT

applications, databases and other resources are

required to support each process. […] This is an

excellent tool for prioritizing IT projects.

152

(www.bptrends.com/resources_glossary.cfm)

Process lane (pool, lane, swimlane)

A division of a process in horizontal lanes meant to

show which activities in the process are carried out by a

particular actor involved in the process. Each lane

represent a different actor.

Process logic

The coherent succession of activities in a process.

Process management

See ‘Business Process Management (BPM)’.

Process management control

1. The design and implementation of a process such

that it is predictable to the extent that it inevitably

produce the expected result.

2. Knowing, monitoring and timely controlling/steering

the parameters that influence the outcome of a

process.

A graphical representation of process management

control cycle is given below.

153

Inrichten

proces

Meten

proces

Procesontwerp

Besturen

proces

Uitvoeren

proces

Processdesign

Processmanagement

Processexecution

Processimplementation

Processmonitoring

Process management scan (BPM-scan)

Gives an indication of the extent to which business

processes are the organising principle within an

organisation. Using questionnaires and other

measuring instruments, the current maturity level (the

so-called ‘ist’-situation) of the organisation with respect

to its process orientation can be assessed. Based on

this maturity assessment the management can make

plans for the development towards the next maturity

level. An example of a BPM-scan is the BiZZscan®.

154

Process manager

• Person responsible for the management of process

models and agrees with architects and designers

upon the procedures for their modification and

maintenance and keeps a possible process library

up-to-date.

• Person responsible for development and steering of

work processes and makes sure that the service

level agreements (SLAs) are realised.

Process mapping

Translating intangible process knowledge into tangible,

formal and concrete descriptions of processes using

some flow diagramming notation.

Process measurement

The activity of measuring particular indicators for a

process (such as, completion time, costs, risk

indicators, etc.) during the process execution.

Process mining

Techniques for the analysis of business processes

based on event logs, often used when no formal

description of the process can be obtained by other

155

means, or when the quality of an existing

documentation is questionable. For example, the audit

trails of a workflow management system, the

transaction logs of an enterprise resource planning

system, and the electronic patient records in a hospital

can be used to discover models describing processes,

organizations, and products.

.

Process model

Schematic description using a specific modelling

notation of a real business process that specifies the

resources used for the process execution, the steps

that have to be followed in order to carry out the

process and the information used and produced during

the process execution.

Process modelling tool

See ‘Business process modelling tool’.

Process monitor

Person monitoring a process. However, the process

monitor does not have responsibilities/competencies

concerning the course of the monitored process.

156

He/she is only carrying out measurements, collecting

feed-back and reporting this information to superior or a

quality manager.

Process monitoring

The collection of measurements concerning the

evolution of the execution of business processes. This

data can be processed and fed as input for various

analysis techniques. A synthesis of analysis results

may serve as decision support for process

improvements by the managers and responsible

workers.

Process orientation

Paradigm promoting the organisation of a company

based on business process, in which the delivery of

internal and external products and services form the

structuring principle.

Also see ‘function orientation’.

Process oriented modelling

Modelling style according to which the starting point for

process modelling are the activities within an

organisation, which are specified, while abstracting

157

from involved information, actors and other resources.

After this, the involved persons, departments and

systems are modelled as well in actor diagrams.

Process owner

Person responsible for (the results of, the output of) a

process. The process owner is competent to intervene,

if necessary, in the process to steer its course.

Process performance-indicator

See ‘process indicator’.

Process performance

Consists of costs, time, quality and risks.

Process report

User friendly description of a process and of the

corresponding documentation.

Process responsibility

The state of being responsible, accountable, or

answerable for a process. It is coupled to process

ownership and it covers the process development,

process implementation and process management.

158

Process reviewer

Person having a coordinating and controlling role.

Takes care of technical aspects of process modelling

and consults the process manager with respect to the

process content.

Process quality

The extent to which a process complies to previously

defined norms.

Process simulation

Running a model of a new/future/existing process in

order to examine the correctness of the execution, the

performance of that process and to discover possible

bottlenecks in the process. Process simulations are

always based on process models (mock-ups of the

future process).

Process steering

Determining and adjusting the goals and the

implementation of processes. Process steering is only

possible the adjustments that to be made are aligned

and fit the processes to be steered.

159

Process step

A part of process can be executed without interruption

by a person or machine, e.g. ‘check client information’.

Process structure

The process structure describes coherently the

relationships and dependencies between primary,

secondary and tertiary processes.

A graphical representation of the process structure in

given below:

Sub-proces outputinput

client

Plannenkaders

Rapporttage

Mensen Middelen

Resultaat ResultaatSub-proces

Sub-proces

Sub-process outputinput

supplier

Plan Report

management

People Means

support

Result ResultSub-process

Sub-process

160

Process task

Coherent collection of activities from a business

process, which can be assigned to an actor (human or

machine) in order to realise one or more business

functions.

Process test

See ‘process audit’.

Process validation

Making sure (and documenting this) that a certain

process results into a product or service that complies

to predefined specifications and quality norms.

Process thinking

1. A person’s ability to put his/her activities in relation

with processes.

2. “A subset of systems thinking. Conceptualizing

groups of activities as processes and seeking to

understand how all of the processes in the

organisation work together to take inputs and

produce products, services and profits.”

(www.bptrends.com/resources_glossary.cfm)

161

Process-wise

Way of organising the activities with an organisation,

which take place in a certain order determined by

underlying dependencies and which are grouped

logically into processes around delivered products and

services. Characteristic for this way of working is the

fact the whole organisation must be able to think in

terms of processes and be committed to them:

following, managing and improving them continuously.

Also see ‘process orientation’.

Product

The physical end result of a (business) process in

which is delivered to a client.

Production cell

See ‘independent task group’.

Productivity model

A model that shows how the productivity of an

organisation depends on its efficiency and

effectiveness. The principle behind this model is doing

162

the right things right. The core question addressed is

how to design processes such that the output (for the

client) is maximised, while the costs (consumed

resources) are minimised.

Product/market combinations (PMC’s)

Describes which of the currently offered products are

aimed at/offered to which current client-groups.

Products and services portfolio

Describes (a part of) the products and services an

organisation offers to its environment. It also specifies

• the channels through which products are

offered/delivered

• the target groups for which products are meant

• the (evolution of the) expected number of

products/service that the market can absorb.

Project portfolio

Collection of projects and/or programs (possibly sharing

the same resources) that together will realise one or

more (strategic) organisational goals.

163

Program

A collection of interdependent projects that is set up in

order to achieve some specified goal of strategic

importance.

Project

A collection of interdependent activities that together

must lead (under specified conditions) to the

achievement of well defined result.

164

Quality

The extent to which delivered products/services meet

the requirements and expectations of customers.

Quality assurance

1. The continuous change and improvement of an

organisation based on a well formulated policy,

containing concrete and feasible goals, that are

translated to all levels, all stages and all processes.

The term 'integral quality assurance' indicates that

quality assurance occurs in all areas/parts of the

organisation.

2. A whole of techniques, and management systems

that focus on the continuous improvement of the

effectiveness, efficiency and adaptability of

organisational processes, while enhancing the client

satisfaction, productivity and flexibility.

3. The organisational structure, responsibilities,

procedures, processes and facilities for implementing

the quality policies.

&�

165

Quality guaranty

The development, deployment, testing and evaluation

of a quality management system. Quality management

Taking measures to ensure that the expectations and

needs of customers are met. Quality management has

as main goal to ensure that organisations are able to

realise their strategic goals.

Quality management system

A quality management system consists at least of:

� A number of process descriptions, including the

corresponding work instructions.

� Periodical internal audits during which the following

aspects are assessed:

- whether work is carried out according to process

descriptions; and

- whether processes still meet their goals (whether

they are still actual).

� A commitment for monitoring and steering the

realisation of process improvements.

166

Quantitative analysis (of processes)

Analysis of measurable and quantifiable aspects of

business processes.

Examples of such aspects are costs, time, risk

probabilities, client satisfaction. Also see indicator and

norm.

Queue

The number of transactions or requests waiting to be

processed by a system. For example, the number of

items of a certain type (e.g., damage claims) that have

to be processed by an organisation or department (e.g.,

insurance company).

Quick wins

Improvements that, although, can be quickly and easily

implemented lead to visible benefits.

167

RACI-method (RACI tables)

RACI tables (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted,

Informed) is a method used to identify the roles and

authority of players in a process/project. It can also help

determine the process/project's sphere of

influence/control across all lines of business:

Responsible: Refers to the person(s) responsible for

the deliverables produced that is, the "executor(s)."

Accountable: Characterizes the person with the ultimate

decision-making authority that is, the "overseer."

Consulted: Refers to the person(s) who must be

consulted before action is taken - that is, the

"advisor(s)." This is a two-way communication that

occurs before an activity is completed.

Informed: Characterizes those who should be informed

that a decision is being made or an action is being

taken, even though they have no control over the

decision or action. This is a one-way communication

that may occur after an activity has been completed.

Typically, this is how senior management-level players

are involved.

'�

168

RADAR (Results, Approach, Deployment, Assessment

and Review)

Approach/methodology through which an organisation

can systematically determines its goals (results), the

approach to achieve those goals (approach), and follow

that approach (deploy). Subsequently, results are

monitored (assess) and the approach is systematically

improved (review).

Reasoning tree

Describes how an analysed goal relates to the other

goals and aspects of a business process. It is a

graphical representation of a line of reasoning.

169

Re-design

A design created as replacement of a current in-place

(organisation, process, application) situation (design)

and which usually preserves elements from the existing

design, while modernising/improving the rest of it.

Preferably, a re-design starts from some design

criteria/goals and is based on some architecture

principles.

Re-design approach for processes

Common goals for the re-design approach are:

• Resolving bottlenecks

• Implementing new products and services

• Preparation for new developments

• Aligning processes with mission and trends

The re-design approach starts with a scoping of the

change. The essential business processes involved in

the change are identified. Then, based on several

design alternatives the new process is re-designed.

The re-design approach is depicted below:

170

2

Target, scope, approach

Determine essentials

3

Design-essentials

Design

4

Alternative processes

Compare and choose

Chosen redesign, commitment

Impa

ct o

f Cha

nge

anal

ysis

1

Bottlenecks, CSF, boundary conditions, norms

Determine scope

Redirection

Contacts with the client during which the client is

referred to another worker (during a first contact, a

client receives the phone number of another employee

he/she must call). In general are considered to be

useless because such contacts do not add value to the

process, from the client point of view.

Reference-architecture

An architecture consisting of a set of components that

together conform and, therefore, implement a certain

reference model.

171

Reference model

� Model describing a high-level solution for a class of

problems. For example, a reference model is a

standardised description of a type of organisations

regarding a certain aspect. A reference model can

have both a prescriptive and descriptive character.

� A generally accepted abstract representation of a

type of system, which allows users to build a

common understanding of that type of systems.

Reporting model

A prescriptive manner of reporting which determines

both the content and the form of a report.

Requirement

A collection of demands to which a new

system/process/product must comply after the

implementation.

Resource-oriented modelling

Modelling style according to which the starting point for

modelling are functions and resources in the

organisation and their dependencies. Thus, first actors

172

are modelled, and only after the items and the

behaviour.

Resource

‘Physical’ actor, (e.g., existing or planned person or

(information) system) being characterised by physical

limitation with respect to capacity and location.

Resources play an important role in any organisation by

being eventually responsible for the execution of all

processes in that organisation.

Response time

The time between issuing a request and receiving the

result; the response time is the sum of the processing

time and waiting times (synchronisation losses).

Examples are the time between the moment that a

customer arrives at a counter and the moment of

completion of the service, or the time between sending

a letter and receiving an answer.

Also in the supporting IT-applications the response time

plays an important role; a well-known example is the

(mean) time between a database query and the

presentation of its results.

173

Responsibility

Obligation to make sure that something works, or is

carried out properly and to be accountable for it.

Risk

A present or future threat that has (potential) negative

influences for the organisation. Factors that have an

influence on the severity of the risk are the process

complexity, the number of transactions, the quality of

the employees assigned for to execute the process and

the quality of the technical means supporting the

process. Risk analysis

Technique that aims to identify and evaluate the risks in

a process (change). The most important result of such

an analysis is an inventarisation of the most important

risks in a process improvement/change project.

Risk estimation

Measurement that indicates the probability for a risk to

occur. The estimated value expresses how high the

probability for a particular risk area and a particular

process element.

174

Risk management

The identification, analysis and evaluation at different

levels in an organisation of risks (financial, material,

personnel, etc.) and the implementation of measures

that are meant to increase the operational effectiveness

and diminish the probability of damage and losses

caused by the identified risks. Eventually, the goal of

risk management is to keep possible risks under

control.

Risk management process

Process that makes risks recognisable and sets

priorities in the selection of risks that will be diminished

by the application of suitable measures. A continuous

flow of information supporting this decision making

process is generated in order to prevent/limit

unnecessary process and project interruptions and

losses.

A graphical representation of a risk management

process is given below:

175

Afbakenen

Identificerenrisico’s en

niveau

Vaststellenmogelijkebeheers-

maatregelen

Kiezen tenemen

maatregelen

Beheersen

Define scope

Identify risks and

level

Establishpossiblemeasures

Selectmeasures

Implementmeasures

Risk manager

• Person responsible for the inventarisation of possible

risks and for taking measures that minimise them.

Plays an important role when the process

improvement concerns the minimization of risks.

• Risk management software tool commercialised by

BiZZdesign.

Risk matrix

Matrix (5x5) in which the two dimensions are the impact

of a risk factor and the probability for that risk to occur.

176

The matrix is a simple instrument to make risks explicit

and manageable. Thus appropriate measures can be

taken for high impact/probability risks. A graphical

representation of a risk matrix is given below:

� IMPACT

�P

RO

BA

BIL

ITY

nil minor average high disastrous

almost sure

probable

possible

improbable

rarely

2b2b

� te nemenmaatregelen� measuresto be taken2a2a

2c2c

00

11

�huidige

maatregelen

�curre

nt

measures

� te nemen

maatregelen� measures

maatregelen

�te

nemen

maatregelen

�measures

to be taken

Risk measure

Measure that aims to prevent an identified risk.

Role

1. A responsibility that can be assigned to

individuals. Roles are packages of tasks that

someone must fulfil. Activities are allocated to

persons based on the roles these persons can

play. Roles are used to describe an organisation

generically from the process perspective. Typical

examples of roles are process manager, team

177

leader, evaluator, process reviewer, risk manager,

process owner, process designer, process

architect, etc. One person may fulfil/play several

different roles. Compared with actors, roles have

as supplementary properties a description of the

responsibilities for that role and an indication of

the role (person) the role must report to.

2. A group of participants exhibiting a specific set of

attributes, qualifications and/or skills.

(www.wfmc.org)

Rule cycle

Lies at the foundation of any process. The purpose of

such a methodology is to continuously monitor whether

the result of a process actually coincides with the

expected result. The most popular rule cycle is the

Deming-circle (PDCA-circle).

178

Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX)

A law in the US which was introduced as a reaction to

several book-keeping scandals. The law requires that

all CEOs and CFOs of listed companies, having

revenues higher than 75 million dollar, must submit

their financial reports to a certification process that will

assess their accuracy. Furthermore, external inspectors

must check the statements of the management team

and the effectiveness of the internal control systems for

financial processes and reporting mechanisms.

Scan

See process management scan.

Secondary activities

Supporting and informing activities.

Secondary flow

Sequences of actions or interactions that concern

secondary issues and exceptions in a process.

(�

179

Secondary process (supporting process)

1. Processes which deliver services to internal clients

(and thus contribute only indirectly to the services

delivered to external clients). These processes

support the primary processes.

2. Processes which are necessary for the creation,

maintenance and destruction of primary processes.

Examples of supporting processes are: human

resource management processes, procurement

processes, housing, book-keeping, etc.

Self-managing task group (self-managing team,

production cell, cluster, autonomous (task) group)

A stable group of employees that bear together the

responsibility for a whole process or for a segment of a

process that can be clearly defined. They deliver well

defined service or product to an internal or external

client. Self-managing team plan and monitor the

progress, solve the daily problems, determine specific

goals, improve the processes they execute and are

responsible for the quality of the delivered products and

services.

180

Self-managing teams

See ‘self-managing task group’.

Semantics of Business Vocabulary and

Business Rules (SBVR)

OMG-specification concerning the semantics, business

vocabulary, facts and rules and is meant to simplify and

standardise the exchange of information between

organisations.

Service

The (automated) execution of certain activities for a

client. These are the products of processes in which the

client is involved.

Service level

Term used to describe the expected

performance/quality of the services provided by an

organisation or a system.

Service level agreement (SLA)

A formal contract between a service provider and a

service consumer, in which formal agreements are

made with respect to the provisioning of that service,

181

such as availability, reliability, completion time,

responsibility, etc. An SLA only refers to measurable

indicators.

Service management model

Model that describes which products and services are

realised by business and work processes. Furthermore,

a service management model also specifies the target

groups (clients) for the above-mentioned products and

services.

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)

(IT) architecture based on loosely coupled services. In

a SOA an important role is played by so-called

orchestrations, which are formally defined processes

which can be executed by specialized software for

controlling the flow of independent (web-)services

invocations. BPEL is a specification language used for

the definition of such processes. Messages between

the different services are exchanged according to open

standards, such as SOAP.

182

Seven-S-model (McKinsey-model)

Model that describes important dimensions of an

organisation:

1. Shared values: values shared by people in the

organisation and which are representative for that

organisation.

2. Strategy: the goals an organisation aims at and the

steps the organisation will pursue in order to reach

those goals.

3. Structure: the organisation of an organisation,

defining, among others, the distribution of tasks, the

hierarchy and the coordination of tasks.

4. Staff: the personnel aspects, such as, rewarding

system, training, motivation and behaviour.

5. Systems: the formal and informal rules.

6. Skills: the most important, differentiating skills and

competencies of the organisation.

7. Style: how people behave and work together.

A graphical representation of the model is given below.

183

Structure

Staff

Skills

Strategy

Sharedvalues

Systems

Style

StructureStructure

Staff

Skills

Strategy

Sharedvalues

Systems

Style

Structure

Shadow execution

A trial method through which new processes and/or

systems are first tested for a while and run in parallel

with the old processes and/or systems.

Shared Service Centre (SSC)

A Shared Service Centre (SSC) is central facility shared

by multiple (internal) clients and providing a specialised

type of service and know-how to all of them. Thus, they

serve the whole organisation by bulk-processing the

same type of data and executing highly standardised

processes. Since the SSC has mostly internal clients,

184

the relationship with them is regulated by (SLA’s) and

by a calculation of the costs made.

Simulation

A technique that uses a model to make predictions

about the behaviour of a system or process. There are

different types of simulation, some more informal and

some more formal. Process simulation tools normally

assign values to activities and then a number of cases

to see how the business process will respond. The

simulation of complex processes can often reveal

outcomes that the developers don't anticipate.

(www.bptrends.com/resources_glossary.cfm) Simulator

A device or computer systems on which (process)

simulations can be run.

Six Sigma

Movement, methodology and technique in which the

core concept is the process improvement. Relies

heavily on statistical techniques to measure success.

More precisely, Six Sigma promotes the idea that

organisations should strive for processes in which

185

variability is minimized, such that they are at, at least,

six times the standard deviations (sigma) distance from

the specification boundaries. The argument is that

through a real understanding of the variability sources

one can effectively improve processes. Consequently,

process improvements can be expressed in terms of

quality and time-cycle, which will also lead a higher

client satisfaction.

Also see quantitative analysis.

Six Sigma roadmap

Methodology for quality improvement that prescribes

the following steps:

1. Identify the most important processes and most

important clients.

2. Define the client needs and requirements.

3. Measure the current performance.

4. Prioritise, analyse and implement the improvements

to be carried out.

5. Facilitate the broad diffusion of the Six Sigma-system

in the organisation.

186

SMART

Abbreviation summarising a number of requirements

that must be satisfied by an organisation’s business

goals:

� Specific: goals must be specified in concrete and

specific terms.

� Measurable: it must be clear how to establish if a

goal has been achieved.

� Acceptable: the organisation must willingly work

towards that goal.

� Realistic: it must be feasible to reach that goal with

the existing resources.

� Time-based: a deadline must be set for reaching the

goal.

SOAP

An XML-based open standard for the exchange of

messages between web-services. Originally, the

abbreviation stood for Simple Object Access Protocol,

and more recently for Service Oriented Access

Protocol; nevertheless now, officially, the name of the

standard is SOAP.

187

SqEME

SqEME® is an open standard for developing a

processed centred architecture of an enterprise. It may

be reproduced freely by any organisation wishing to use

it to develop a governance structure on the quality of

their business processes.

SqEME® Process Management is a method that

enables discussing the design of the organisation in an

unambiguous way. Processes have to hold a prominent

place in observing organisations: how are the different

parts of the organisation tuned to each other and how

does the messaging in between take place?

SqEME uses two sets of windows: One set to be able

to use SqEME as a methodology for analysis. SqEME®

calls this ‘windows’, by means of which one seeks for

the Constitution, Chemistry, Correspondence and

Construction of the enterprise (see figure below).

188

The second set of windows facilitates the use of

SqEME as a method for process management. The

windows for SqEME® Process Management (shown in

the figure below) are named: Business Activities,

Messaging, Dashboard and Deployment.

189

SqEME® as a methodology views processes from four

different perspectives.

(http://www.sqeme.nl/english/default.php; http://www.sqeme.nl/Documents/SqEME_White_Paper.

pdf)

Stakeholder

An individual, team or organisation having an

interest/concern in a system.

Strategise (setting the direction, goal setting)

Determining the course and business goals for an

organisation. The central question is ‘what do we want

190

to achieve?’ Strategising has important consequences

for the design of architectures, the business-IT

alignment, the estimation and analysis of the ‘impact-of-

change’, and the definition of the scope for process

(re)design, also from the perspective of the global

value-chain.

Strategy

The goals an organisation aims at and the steps the

organisation will pursue in order to reach those goals.

Steering information

Rules and regulations for the control and management

of processes.

Steering model

Model that describes the principles, the steering

instruments, the decision making process and the

steering information that is needed for governing a

process.

Sub-optimal

The phenomenon occurring when local optimisation

leads to s result that is far from the global optimum.

191

This type of situation a real danger for architects, that

normally design only small pieces of architecture (that

might be optimal) and can easily loose the global

perspective.

Sub-process

A process, which is part of another process.

Supplier

The department or the external organisation which

delivers the input for a process.

Supply Chain Management (SCM)

The planning, optimisation and management of the

supply, information en material streams throughout the

whole supply chain.

Supporting processes

See ‘secondary processes’.

Swimlane

See ‘process lane’.

192

SWOT-analysis

Analysis technique that examines the internal strong

and weak points of an organisation and compares them

with the external opportunities and threats.

SWOT-matrix

A means to represent the strengths and weaknesses,

the opportunities and threats of an organisation and

relate them to each other. This results in four strategic

alternatives.

A graphical representation of the SWOT-matrix is given

below:

Kansen

Sterkten

Zwakten

SWOT

Stelt deze sterkteons in staat om

deze kans tebenutten?

Verhindert dezezwakte om deze

kans te benutten?

Stelt deze sterkte

deze bedreiging af

Verhindert deze

KansenOpportunities Threats

SterktenStrengths

ZwaktenWeaknesses

EXTERNALAnalysis

CSF’s

SWOT

Does this strengthallow us to take advantage of this opportunity?

Is this weaknesspreventing us to take advantage of this opportunity?

Does this strengthallow us toadequately respond to this threat?

Is this weaknesspreventing us to adequately respond to this threat?

INTERNALAnalysis

193

Synchronous Process

In a synchronous process, one activity sends a

message to another and then waits for a response

before proceeding. See also ‘asynchronous process’.

System

1. A set of inter-connected tangible and intangible

elements together with their interaction with the

environment.

2. A whole of operations between elements.

3. A collection of components, which together realise

certain functions. These functions can be both of

technical and non-technical (e.g., organisational,

human) nature.

4. A business, software or technical system.

System architecture

1. The conceptual design that defines the structure

and/or behaviour of a system.

2. The fundamental organisation of a system, embodied

in its components, their relationships to each other

and the environment, and the principles governing its

design and evolution. From ANSI/IEEE 1471-2000.

194

3. A formal description of a system, or a detailed plan of

the system at component level to guide its

implementation. TOGAF

4. The structure of components, their interrelationships,

and the principles and guidelines governing their

design and evolution over time. TOGAF

5. A description of the applications and information

necessary in an organisation in order to achieve its

business goals according to prescribed policies and

of their role, relationships and dependencies

between them.

System design

Systematic approach for the design of system.

Systemic approach

An interdisciplinary, holistic approach in which

processes are regarded as a system which interacts

with other complex systems.

System model

Model that describes which information systems

support the work processes, activities and operations.

The system model gives an indication of what

195

information systems are necessary in order to

automate/support the various business processes.

Such a specification can be used, for example, as input

an impact analysis when an information system must

be replaced.

196

Tabaksblatt Code

Dutch code of conduct regulating the area of corporate

governance (i.e., the effective management of

organisations). The Tabaksblatt code ensures that the

rewarding decisions in an organisation listed at the

stock exchange are balanced and transparent, and the

value of the rewards is dependent on the long tern

performance criteria. Furthermore, the shareholders

have more control on the rewarding policy.

Task

Piece of behaviour that can be attributed to one or more

actors. A task is, for example, a bundle of work that is

given to person for execution. Tasks are specialisations

of activities and behaviour blocks. Next to the

information carried by blocks and activities, tasks have

a number of other properties:

� The roles required for the execution of a task,

� The locations where the task can be executed.

Task allocation

The allocation of tasks to actors.

)�

197

Task differentiation

The variety of functions in someone’s task (e.g., job)

profile.

Task group (autonomous)

See ‘self-managing task group’.

Target-actors

Components of an organisation which are relevant from

the perspective of the modelling goal.

Target group

Group of people who are (expected to be) the

beneficiary of a certain service or product.

Technical infrastructure

Hardware, networks, system software and operating

systems.

Tertiary activities

Steering and controlling activities.

Tertiary processes

See ‘management processes’.

198

Testbed Studio

See ‘BiZZdesigner’.

Tester

See ‘auditor’.

Testing frame

Set of norms and criteria specific to a certain testing

situation/context.

Third Party

Independent certification authority that is able to assess

whether processes within an organisation comply to

certain predefined criteria.

Throughput-measurements (conversion

measurements, ‘in-process’ measurements)

Indicators that are used to establish whether the right

processing takes place. In particular we refer to process

indicators regarding the correct transformation of the

process input into output.

199

Time-to-market

The ability of an organisation to rapidly

develop/implement and put new products/services on

the market.

Top down approach

Approach that advocated the use of external know-how

for carrying out the process specification. Persons

involved in processes are interviewed. Based on data

collected during these interviews, external experts will

write the process specifications. Subsequently, these

descriptions are disseminated within the organisation

and presented to employees. Finally, the management

will adjust, if necessary the existing processes.

Top-down modelling

Modelling style according to which first the logical

functioning of business processes is modelled.

Subsequently, physical resources (such as people and

machines) are added to the models.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

A movement, an industrial discipline and a set of

techniques for the improvement of the process quality.

200

TQM puts emphasis on continuous measurements and

statistical techniques for supporting the improvement

process. TQM is often associated with the Deming-

circle and with Edwards Deming.

Transaction

An agreement, communication, or movement carried

out between separate entities or objects, often involving

the exchange of items of value, such as information,

goods, services and money.

Transformation

The transformation and processing by adding value of

the input into output.

TRC-matrix

Matrix in which for each activity the tasks,

responsibilities and competencies are defined.

Tree diagram

Structures (processes in) an organisation hierarchically.

This method is also used to describe the administrative

structure of an organisation.

201

Trigger

The initiating activity which fires a business process.

Trigger model

Techniques for defining different roles, responsibilities,

decisions and activities. A trigger model helps a group

of stakeholders to agree in detail upon the way in which

a job must be handled. Trigger models are graphical

models, divided into columns. Each column represents

a responsible role.

202

Unified Modelling Language (UML) Modelling language standardised by the OMG, primarily

aimed at system development using object-oriented

analysis and design. UML discerns a number of types

of diagrams that can be used to describe the structure

and behaviour of applications. Version 2.0 of UML,

adopted in 2004, has a number of additional diagrams

compared to earlier versions. Frequently used diagram

types are class diagrams, use case diagrams, activity

diagrams and sequence diagrams.

Use Case Diagram

One type of UML diagram. Often used by software

developers to define the software requirements for a

system. Use case diagrams focus on scenarios that

describe how users use the application.

User data model

A graphical model of a conceptual dat model.

*�

203

Utilisation

A resource-oriented time-measure that gives an

indication about the processing capacity of an

organisation, the resource allocation effectiveness, and

about the efficiency with which the different resources

(actors) are used. Utilisation is the percentage of the

operational time that a resource is busy. A high

utilisation can be an indication of the fact that the

resource is a potential bottleneck, and that increasing

that resource’s capacity (or adding an extra resource)

can lead to a relatively high performance improvement.

In case of humans, the utilisation can be used as a

more or less objective measure for the work stress. In

information systems architectures, a typical example of

the utilisation is the network load.

204

Value chain

1. A succession of activities through which value is

created for clients. The composition of a value

chain makes the strategic position of the chain

partners transparent. In the value chain each

organisation is a link in the chain and contributes

with value to the chain.

2. A very large-scale business process that is

initiated by a customer request, or by the decision

of the company to enter a new line of business,

and results in the delivery of a process or service

to a customer. A value chain includes everything

that contributes to the output. By adding up all of

the costs of each activity in a value chain, and

subtracting the total from the sale price, an

organisation can determine the profit margin on

the value chain. Most organisations support from 3

to 15 value chains. Many managers associate

value chains with the description provided in

Michael Porter's Competitive Advantage (1985).

(www.bptrends.com/resources_glossary.cfm)

+�

205

Value cycle

Technique to represent schematically the relationship

and dependencies between money and the stream of

goods in an organisation.

A graphical example of a simple value cycle is given

below:

Crediteuren Admini-stratie

DebiteurenLeverancier Klant

Betalen Kas/Bank

Ontvangen

Inkoop Voorraad Verkoop

Creditors Admini-stration DebtorsSupplier Client

Pay Bank Receive

Procu-rement

Supply Sales

Money stream

Stream of goods

Value engineering

Examination, using value analysis, of a product/service

that has as goal to determine if that product/service can

be simplified by removing those components that do not

contribute directly to the functionality of that

product/service.

206

Value network

A network of independent entities (organisations) that

work together in order to create some economic value,

for example, in the form of a service or a product. A

value network resembles a value chain, except for the

fact that the relationships between the collaborating

partners are more complex.

Vendor-rating

Evaluation of the quality of the delivered goods/services

by a supplier based on periodical evaluations given by

customers.

Verification

The activity during which is established whether a

process, product or measurement complies to

requirements that have been previously set.

View

Part of a system/architecture description that addresses

a set of related concerns of one or more stakeholders.

Examples of views are the overview of the applications

and their relationships or of the maintenance costs for

each application.

207

Viewpoint

A viewpoint describes how a view should be made in

terms of content (e.g., concepts and relation types),

models, analysis and visualisations techniques,

relations with stakeholders, etc. Different stakeholders

have different interests, operate with different concepts,

have different views and require different viewpoints. A

metaphor explains well the distinction between

viewpoint and view is that of a torch and what one sees

using the torch. Simply put, a view is what you see from

the system, and a viewpoint is where you are looking

from.

Vision

The strategic course the organisation should follow,

expressed in terms of long term goals and general

principles. It will also explain in which way and to what

extent the interest and goals of the important

stakeholders are served by the organisation.

Visualisation

Making visible certain properties or relationships in

models.

208

Waiting time

The amount of time an activity has to wait until other

activities are completed (also called synchronization

losses). In the case of business processes these are

places in the process where for a certain reason work

must be stopped (and time is waisted) until some

resources become available. For example, work must

be passed on to another person and there are no

workers available to take over that work.

Web Service

A generally fully automated service, which is delivered

to internal or external clients and in which information is

automatically exchanges making use of web-related

standards, protocols and technologies, such SOAP,

WSDL, BPEL, etc.

,�

209

Web Services Business Process Execution

Language (WS-BPEL)

Open standard of OASIS for the description of business

processes, base don XML. Processes specified in a

WS-BPEL-document are specific to SOA and are

automated. WS-BPEL specifications can be generated

from high level process specifications/models, using

appropriate tools.

WfMC Process Definition Meta-Model

Meta-model proposed by the WfMC that identifies the

top level entities within the Process Definition (see

figure below). A Process Definition is, according to the

WfMC, a representation of a business process in a form

which supports automated manipulation, such as

modelling, or enactment by a workflow management

system.

The process definition consists of a network of activities

and their relationships, criteria to indicate the start and

termination of the process, and information about the

individual activities, such as participants, associated IT

applications and data, etc. The WfMC Reference Model

(see ‘WfMC Reference Model’) includes an interface for

210

the import and export of Process Definitions.( www.wfmc.org)

‘What-if’-analysis (scenario analysis)

Analysis technique in which the focus lies on the

influence a certain model change has on a selected

indicator. The analysis is applied twice: once on the

original model and once on the changed model.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

The schematic representation of the hierarchical

decomposition of a set of activities that have to be

executed according to a plan.

211

Work division rules

Rules that determine for each task profile which

competencies an employee must (at least) have in

order to be allowed to carry out that task.

Workflow engine

A software service or "engine" that provides the run

time execution environment for a process instance.

(www.wfmc.org)

Workflow management (WFM)

The partial or total automation of business processes,

which has as result the fact that documents, information

and tasks are passed from one resource to another

according to certain rules and procedures that are

specified in the so-called workflow model.

Workflow Management Coalition (WFMC)

A non-profit, international organisation that consists of

workflow management systems suppliers, user

organisations, analysts and academic research groups.

Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC). For more

information check www.wfmc.org.

212

Workflow management system

System that communicates/passes on electronically to

employees work-related tasks. Documents and data

that are relevant for the execution of that task are also

offered to the respective employee and applications

that are necessary to process those documents and

data are started automatically. Furthermore, the system

controls the succession of operations and the division

of work to people. A workflow management system is

used to steer and control processes.

Workflow model

Model of a procedure used by a process engine to

control and monitoring the execution of a sequence of

activities.

Workflow reference model

An architectural representation of a workflow

management system which identifies the most

important system interfaces. It has been developed by

the Workflow Management Coalition.

213

Work instructions

Description of the operations that have tob e carried out

in order to complete an activity.

Workload

The number of transactions or requests that a system

completes per time unit (for example, the average

number of customers that is served per hour). Related

to this is the maximum attainable throughput (also

called the processing capacity, or in a more technically

oriented context such as communication networks, the

bandwidth), which depends on the number of available

resources and their capacity.

In the case of processes, the workload can be

measured by examining the process flow and the

allocation of activities to resources (e.g., actors). This

gives insight in the combination of tasks and resources

and in the amount of time resources spend to complete

these tasks.

Work process

A part of a business process that delivers a (part of a)

service/product to another internal work process or to a

client.

214

Work stream

A process from trigger to end (trigger).

Work stream description

See ‘process description’.

Workflow

The automation of a business process, in whole or part,

during which documents, information or tasks are

passed from one participant to another for action,

according to a set of procedural rules.

(http://www.wfmc.org)

Workflow Management Coalition

The Workflow Management Coalition, founded in

August 1993, is a non-profit, international organisation

of workflow vendors, users and analysts. The

Coalition's mission is to promote the use of workflow

through the establishment of standards for software

terminology, interoperability and connectivity between

workflow products. Consisting of over 100 members,

the Coalition has quickly become established as the

primary standards body for this rapidly expanding

215

software market. The Coalition has proposed a

framework for the establishment of workflow standards.

This framework includes five categories of

interoperability and communication standards that will

allow multiple workflow products to coexist and

interoperate within a user's environment. Technical

details are included in the white paper titled “The Work

of the Coalition”.

(http://www.wfmc.org/,

http://www.aiai.ed.ac.uk/project/wfmc/ARCHIVE/overvie

w.html)

216

Workflow Management System

A system that defines, creates and manages the

execution of workflows through the use of software,

running on one or more workflow engines, which is able

to interpret the process definition, interact with workflow

participants and, where required, invoke the use of IT

tools and applications. (http://www.wfmc.org)

Workflow monitoring

The ability to track and report on workflow events

during workflow execution. (www.wfmc.com)

Workflow pattern

A specialised form of a design pattern as defined in the

area of software engineering, referring specifically to

recurrent problems and proven solutions related to the

development of workflow applications in particular, and

more broadly, process-oriented applications.

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

Standardisation organisation for web-related standards

such as SOAP and XML.

217

XML (Extensible Markup Language)

See Extensible Markup Language.

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218

Zero-measurement

A measurement done in a start situation, meant to

facilitate the ulterior comparison with a new situation.

Zachman framework

In 1987, Zachman introduced his "Framework for

Enterprise Architecture", although back then it was

called "Framework for Information Systems

Architecture". The framework as it applies to

Enterprises is simply a logical structure for classifying

and organizing the descriptive representations of an

Enterprise that are significant to the management of the

Enterprise as well as to the development of the

Enterprise's systems. It was derived from analogous

structures that are found in the older disciplines of

Architecture, Construction and Engineering that classify

and organize the design deliverables created during the

process of designing or producing complex physical

products.

��

219

The figure above shows the "Framework for Enterprise

Architecture", usually known as the Zachman

Framework. The Framework essentially depicts the

design artefacts that constitute the intersection between

the roles in the design process, (i.e., planner, owner,

designer, builder and subcontractor) and the product

abstractions, that is, WHAT (material) it is made of,

HOW (process) it works and WHERE (geometry) the

components are, with respect to each other. The three

additional interrogations WHO, WHEN and WHY have

been translated into additional columns of models that

have, respectively, the following semantics: WHO does

what work, WHEN do things happen and WHY are

various choices made.

Some of the Zachman’s Framework advantages are:

220

• simplicity - it is easy to understand: not technical,

purely logical.

• comprehensiveness - it addresses the Enterprise

in its entirety.

• neutrality - it is defined totally independently of

tools or methodologies and therefore any it can be

used in combination with any tool or any

methodology.

More about the Zachman Framework can be found at

the home page of the Zachman Institute for Framework

Advancement (ZIFA), http://www.zifa.com.

221

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BPMN

A summary of the BPMN notation is given in the figures

below (http://www.bpmn.org/).

222

223

224

Examples of BPMN models are given below

(http://www.squidoo.com/business-process-modeling).

225

226

Flowcharts

A summary of the flowcharting notation is given in the

figure below.

An example of a flowchart is given below.

227

228

Role Activity Diagrams (RAD)

A summary of the RAD notation is given in the figure

below.

An example of an RAD is given below.

229

230

UML Activity Diagrams

A summary of the UML activity diagram notation is

given in the figure below.

Examples of activity diagrams are given below.

231

BiZZdesigner modelling language

A summary of the BiZZdesigner modelling language is

given in the figure below.

Interactionpoint

Interactionrelation

Actor diagram

Actor

interaction

Behaviour block

ActionTrigger Endtrigger

Repeatedaction

OR split OR join

AND split AND join

Behaviour diagram

Incrementrelation

Disable relation

Enablerelation

Interactionrelation

Entry Exit

232

attributeData type

...

......

Aggregationrelation

Compositionrelation

Specialisationrelation

Item

Itemrelation

Data type diagram

An example of a BiZZdesign model is given below.

Submitclaim

customer file claim

damage file

damage file

rejectclaim

retrievecustomer file

createclaim file

receiveclaim

modifyclaim data

checkcompleteness

registerclaim data

complete

unknowncustomer

incomplete

existingcustomer

*

*

Registration

send toadminstration

233

Customer[*] Assessor

Financial staff member

Car damage specialist[2]

Member of Car damage staff

Specialists

Team leader

Member of clerical staff[5]

Member of Policy Administration

Support

PRO-FIT

insurancepaymentstatusamount

Insurance claim

customersCustomer list

LDWpolicyconditions

licenceplate

Car insurance policy

claimspolicies

File

statusassessmentdamageform

claim

Damage file

assessmentamountAssessment report

policynumberconditionscoverage

object

Insurance policy

f ilename

Customer

234

ARIS Event Process Chain (EPC) modelling

language

A summary of the EPC notation is given in the figure

below (wikipedia).

An example of an ARIS EPC is given below.

235

236

'�.�� ���.��/�0���1�����

ArchiMate-project

� archimate.telin.nl

BPM-forum Nederland

� www.bpm-forum.org

Business Modelling & Integration Domain Task

Force

� http://bmi.omg.org/

Business Process Trends

� www.bptrends.com/resources_glossary.cfm

Quality

� www.efqm.org

� www.ink.nl/bezoekers

� www.kwaliteit.pagina.nl

237

Process Community

� www.processcommunity.org

Process Express

� www.processexpress.nl

S4U

� www.solutions4u.nl

SqEME®

� http://www.sqeme.nl/english/default.php

Southbeach Modeller

� http://www.southbeachinc.com/

Telematica Instituut

� www.telin.nl

The Workflow Management Coalition

� www.wfmc.org

238

��������������������

���� ���� � Berenschot (1999), Het managementmodellenboek,

zestig ideeën toegankelijk gemaakt, Elsevier Bedrijfs-

informatie BV, Den Haag.

� BiZZdesign B.V. (2003), Handboek Business Process

Engineering, Enschede.

� Dorr, D.C. (2002), Presteren met processen; proces-

management voor dienstverlenende organisaties,

Kluwer Deventer.

� Esseling, E.K.C., en H. van Nimwegen (1992),

Administratieve processen, Aanpak en technieken t.b.v.

vastlegging, analyse, ontwerp en beheer, Moret Ernst &

Young Management Consultants, Kluwer Bedrijfs-

wetenschappen, Deventer.

� Hartog, Molenkamp en Otten (1992), Kwaliteit van

Administratieve Dienstverlening, Kluwer Bedrijfsweten-

schappen.

� Joosten, S.M.M. (2002), Praktijkboek voor proces-

architecten, Koninklijke Van Gorcum BV, Assen.

� Nieuwenhuis, M.A., The Art of Management, Deel 1:

strategie & structuur, 2003.

239

� Noordam, P.G., J.B.B. van den Over, en M.C.

Kamermans (1996), Handen en voeten aan de Admini-

stratieve Organisatie, Vastleggen gericht op analyse,

ontwerp en beheersing, KPMG Consulting, Samsom

Bedrijfsinformatie BV, Alphen aan den Rijn/Diegem.

� Sitter, L.U. de (2000), Synergetisch produceren, Human

Resources Mobilisation in de productie: een inleiding in

structuurbouw, Van Gorcum.

� Torremans, H. (2003), Resultaatsturing via bedrijfs-

processen, in: Management Tools, vol. 3.